The Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) has found its first dwarf planet candidate. The planet, named 2026 ED138 (ED138), is way out beyond Pluto's orbit, and if confirmed, would be one of the largest dwarf planets found beyond Neptune. This is the realm of other dwarf planets including Makemake , Haumea , and Eris .

ED138 turned up in observations taken before the VRO began its primary mission, the decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Matthew Holman, Rubin team member and senior astrophysicist from the (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian [CfA]), is credited with the discovery. Holman works on the algorithms that shape the Rubin's search for transient objects in the night sky.

The VRO is a game-changer in the search for objects moving through the distant Solar System. Its wide and deep field catches moving objects that other telescopes struggle to detect, because Rubin images the same field repeatedly.…