Astronomers unearth potential dwarf planet beyond Pluto
Astronomers have discovered Ammonite (2023 KQ14), a distant object orbiting the Sun about 252 times farther than Earth—way past Pluto.
Found using Japan's Subaru Telescope, Ammonite is only the fourth known Sednoid, a rare group of icy objects with stretched-out orbits that Neptune doesn't affect.
Ammonite challenges the existence of Planet Nine
Ammonite's orbit has stayed steady for 4.5 billion years, which is unusual and makes scientists question whether the mysterious Planet Nine even exists.
Researchers now think a major event early in our Solar System shaped these orbits, not just another hidden planet.
So far that light takes 34 hours to reach us!
Ammonite sits roughly 38 billion kilometers from Earth—so far that its light takes 34 hours to reach us!
Instead of seeing it directly, astronomers pieced together its path using telescope images dating back to 2005.
Studying Ammonite could help unlock secrets about how our Solar System formed and evolved.