NASA LAUNCHES SPACEX\u2019S CREW-13 ON A RECORD-BREAKING JOURNEY TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION<\/a><\/p>\n Data analysis shows that the object, known as ED138, is orbiting far beyond Pluto<\/a>, in a distant region of the solar system.<\/p>\n The team said that the possible dwarf planet is the largest they have ever found, with an estimated diameter between 373 and 932 miles.<\/p>\n This image shows the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate ED138, as observed by NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory.\u00a0<\/p>\n (NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory\/NOIRLab\/SLAC\/AURA \/ FOX Weather)<\/p>\n If confirmed, the object\u00a0would join the five officially recognized dwarf planets: Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.<\/p>\n A dwarf planet is a celestial body that orbits the sun<\/a>, is nearly round due to its own gravity, but has not cleared other objects from its orbital path, per NASA<\/a>.<\/p>\n THE SUN HAS GONE BLANK AS SUNSPOTS VANISH FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE FEBRUARY<\/a><\/p>\n ED138 was discovered in a region close to the plane of the Milky Way, an area crowded with millions of stars. The dense field of stars made the object difficult to spot, causing it to go undetected for years.<\/p>\n However, scientists were able to identify ED138 using the NSF\u2013DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which is equipped with an enormous camera and advanced imaging capabilities that allow it to detect movement.<\/p>\n The Milky Way is seen from Lajitas, Texas, on August 15, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n ((Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT \/ AFP via Getty Images) \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n “Rubin Observatory’s superpower is the ability to clearly capture movement and change among a vast number of objects and phenomena that humans have never seen before,” Edward Ajhar, NSF program director for Rubin Observatory, said. “That power greatly extends our ability to reveal and understand new things about our solar system, the Milky Way, and billions of other galaxies across the universe.”<\/p>\n According to the U.S. National Science Foundation, ED138 is a large, bright trans-Neptunian<\/a> object located approximately 46 astronomical units from the sun. One astronomical unit is the average distance between Earth<\/a> and the sun<\/a>.<\/p>\n A shooting star and the milky way are pictured in Grossmugl, Austria, on August 13, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n ((Photo by MAX SLOVENCIK \/ APA \/ AFP via Getty Images) \/ Austria OUT \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n The potential dwarf planet is among a growing number of solar system objects identified by the Rubin Observatory this year.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/screenshot-2026-11-01-at-8.05.08-pm.png\")
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