The new minor planet loops even further out than previously discovered dwarf planets such as Sedna and 2013 VP113. The long axis of its orbital ellipse is 730 astronomical units.

Planet Nine, if it exists, would have to be a little over six times Earth’s mass, with an orbital period of about 7,400 years. The newly cataloged minor planet is big, but not Planet Nine big.

Reported in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, researchers using data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) have identified more than 300 so-called trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs)—minor ...

Astronomers have discovered 139 new “minor planets” in our solar system, beyond the orbit of Neptune. These small objects could provide clues as to whether the mysterious Planet Nine, a ...

The object, named 2017 OF201, is a minor planet — one of the largest found in nearly a decade. At an estimated 700 kilometers wide, it’s likely large enough to qualify as a dwarf planet.Its ...

But even if it doesn't spot Planet 9 directly, the Rubin Observatory might find some more minor planets, ones whose orbits might be affected by Planet 9. And that could provide additional evidence ...

Trending News: Astronomers have identified a new trans-Neptunian object, 2017 OF201, located far beyond Pluto. Its enormous size, comparable to dwarf planets, and hi ...

The dwarf planet, called 2014 UZ224, measures about 330 miles (530 kilometers) across and is located about 8.5 billion miles (13.7 billion km) from the sun, NPR reported today (Oct. 11).

There’s a new object in the distant reaches of our solar system, and it might just offer clues to a long-standing cosmic mystery. Astronomers have cataloged a frozen minor planet called 2017 ...

Planets originate from protoplanetary disks, circulating disks of gas and dust that develop around young stars, ... Various forces, including magnetism, influence the movement of the dust grains.