# Scientists discover potentially massive dwarf planet candidate hiding beyond Pluto

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/scientists-discover-potentially-massive-dwarf-planet-candidate-hiding-beyond-pluto/
- Published: 2026-11-02T21:43:41+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:54:36+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/travel/scientists-discover-potentially-massive-dwarf-planet-candidate-hiding-beyond-pluto
- Topics: Research, Science, World

## Key points

- Scientists found a large object beyond Pluto.
- ED138 may be 370 to 930 miles wide.
- More observations will determine whether it is a dwarf planet.

## Summary

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has helped scientists identify 2026 ED138, a distant object that may be one of the largest dwarf planets found beyond Neptune. Its discovery matters because it suggests that repeated, wide-sky surveys could reveal sizeable objects missed by earlier searches.

Astronomers estimate ED138 is between 370 and 930 miles across and about 4.3 billion miles from the Sun, farther away than Pluto. It was spotted in data by Matthew Holman using software developed with Kevin Napier; a crowded patch of sky near the Milky Way had made it difficult to see. Further observations are needed to establish its size and whether it meets the definition of a dwarf planet. Rubin Observatory plans to survey the southern sky repeatedly over a ten-year period.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.