2026 ED138

Rare card · No. 35877

2026 ED138 is a large trans-Neptunian object (TNO) and possible dwarf planet in the classical Kuiper belt. It was discovered by Matthew Holman on 13 October 2026, while searching through Vera C. Rubin Observatory data taken earlier that year, with precovery images dating as far back as 1937. With an absolute magnitude of about 2.9–3.2, it is the brightest TNO found since Chiminigagua in 2013, the ninth- or tenth-brightest known TNO, and the brightest known object in the Solar System without a directly measured size. Its diameter is likely between 600 and 1,000 kilometers (400 and 600 mi), potentially making it among the largest known dwarf planet candidates. Despite its brightness, it had long evaded detection due to a notably southern declination and being located near the crowded Galactic plane. Little is known about its physical characteristics. It is moderately red, indicating that it likely has an icy surface darkened by organic material such as tholins.

Read on Wikipedia · Image NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA Image Processing: M. Jurić (UW), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab), CC BY 4.0