Possible dwarf planet discovered beyond Pluto

Astronomers have discovered a large icy object beyond Pluto that could qualify as a dwarf planet, potentially adding a new member to the solar system’s officially recognized group.The discovery was announced on Thursday by the US-funded Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which houses the world’s largest 3.2-gigapixel digital camera, built specifically for astronomy.Researchers estimate that the object, provisionally named 2026 ED138, is between 600 and 1,500 km in diameter and may be one of the largest dwarf planet candidates ever found. It currently sits roughly 46 times farther from the Sun than Earth. Pluto’s average distance, for comparison, is about 40 times Earth’s.The object likely escaped detection until now because it appeared against a crowded backdrop of millions of stars near the plane of the Milky Way. However, Rubin’s repeated images and tracking software has now allowed scientists to pick out its movement.#ICYMI: our Solar System has a newly-discovered dwarf planet candidate! Meet 2026 ED138, recently revealed by NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory ☄ Let's get to know this new world a little bit, shall we? https://t.co/wTOg898zBu https://t.co/RC0HP5rZiL— NSF-DOE Rubin Observa...