Dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 found beyond Pluto, 281-year orbit
Spotted 2026-11-13 05:07 (UTC+8) · original event 2026-10-27 · sources: Hacker News, Smithsonian Magazine, NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory · spreading on 3 platformsHeat score
Rank score: 8540% — where it sits on the charts
Discussion score: 8040% — how much people are talking about it
Cross-platform score: 7020% — how many platforms it spread to
Composite heat score:80.0rank × 0.4 + discussion × 0.4 + cross-platform × 0.2
Why it matters
A possible sixth dwarf planet has been hiding beyond Pluto - the first candidate from the Rubin Observatory's sky survey, and proof that our solar system map is still incomplete.The angle
The solar system just got a possible new member: what Rubin found, why its 281-year orbit matters, and what still has to be confirmed before it counts as a dwarf planetSuggested format: Short video · for General public, science enthusiastsEvidence chain
• HN #5, 88 pts/32 cmt (2026-11-13)• Smithsonian Magazine 2026-11-12• NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory announcement 2026-10-27 (IAU Minor Planet Center circular MPEC 2026-U85): object 2026 ED138, ~46 AU from the Sun, 281-year orbit, estimated 600-1,500 km across• dwarf-planet status unconfirmed, needs infrared follow-up• discovered 2026-10-13 by Matthew Holman (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)• note: Oct 27 announcement re-surfacing via Nov 12 Smithsonian coverage• 2026-11-13 06:07 update: HN #4, 125 pts/54 cmt• 2026-11-13 07:07 update: HN #5, 154 pts/69 cmt• 2026-11-13 08:07 update: HN #5, 175 pts/83 cmt• 2026-11-13 09:07 update: HN #5, 191 pts/92 cmt• 2026-11-13 10:07 update: HN #5, 203 pts/94 cmt• 2026-11-13 11:07 update: HN #6, 217 pts/100 cmt• 2026-11-13 12:07 update: HN #9, 224 pts/105 cmt• 2026-11-13 13:07 update: HN #7, 236 pts/108 cmt• 2026-11-13 14:07 update: HN #9, 256 pts/110 cmt• 2026-11-13 15:07 update: HN #11, 268 pts/114 cmt• 2026-11-13 16:07 update: HN #10, 280 pts/119 cmt• 2026-11-13 17:07 update: HN #8, 295 pts/123 cmt