Overview
- Matthew Holman identified the moving source by running Vera C. Rubin data through a search code he co‑developed and presented the finding with Mario Jurić at a planetary‑science meeting.
- Rubin logged more than 30 detections of the object between March and July 2026 and archival images extend sightings back to 2016, enabling a preliminary orbit determination.
- Orbit fits place the object beyond Pluto at about 46 astronomical units from the Sun with an inclination near 25 degrees relative to the solar system plane.
- Brightness‑based estimates give a diameter of roughly 600 to 1,500 kilometers but that range depends on surface reflectivity so follow‑up thermal/infrared observations, stellar occultations and light‑curve studies are needed to measure its true size and shape.
- If confirmed as round, the object would be a strong dwarf‑planet candidate and the find highlights how Rubin’s wide, repeated imaging and archival precovery work can reveal rare large bodies and reshape our view of the outer solar system.