Archive · 25 May 2025
Astronomers Discover New Distant Planet Outside Pluto
Scientists have found a new small planet way out in space, past Pluto!
It's called 2017 OF201, and it's quite big, about the size of a dwarf planet.
This new object travels in a very stretched-out orbit around the sun, much farther than Neptune.
The discovery helps scientists learn more about the frozen objects in the Kuiper Belt, left over from the beginning of our solar system.
It also gives them more clues in their search for a possible 'Planet Nine,' a planet that might be hiding far, far away.
This new discovery helps us understand how our solar system was made and how things move in the outer reaches of space.
Astronomers discovered a new trans-Neptunian object named 2017 OF201.
2017 OF201 is a large object, estimated between 470 to 820 kilometers in diameter.
Its orbit is extremely elongated, ranging from 45 to 838 AU from the Sun.
The discovery aids in understanding the Kuiper Belt and the formation of the solar system.
Research on 2017 OF201 contributes to the search for Planet Nine.
- Who
- Astronomers.
- What
- The discovery of a new trans-Neptunian object (TNO) named 2017 OF201.
- When
- The object was discovered in archival telescope observations.
- Where
- In the outer solar system, far beyond Neptune.
- Why
- To understand the outer solar system's structure, dynamics, and the potential existence of Planet Nine, and to study the Kuiper Belt.
- Name
- 2017 OF201
- Object Type
- Trans-Neptunian object (TNO)
- Diameter
- 470 to 820 kilometers
- Orbit
- Highly elongated
- Closest Distance to Sun
- 45 AU
- Farthest Distance to Sun
- 838 AU
- Category
- Extreme trans-Neptunian object (ETNO)