2017 OF201, new dwarf planet beyond Pluto, discovered: How it could change the way we look at solar system map
Astronomers have just unveiled an extraordinary discovery in the far reaches of the solar system that could dramatically change the way we view our cosmic neighbourhood.
A new dwarf planet, temporarily named 2017 OF201, has been located in a distant orbit far beyond Pluto.
The object, which may be a distant cousin of Pluto, has an orbital path so vast that it takes an incredible 25,000 Earth-years to complete one revolution around the sun.
To put this into perspective, Pluto's orbit around the sun takes 248 years. At its furthest distance, 2017 OF201 is more than 1,600 times farther from the sun than Earth, with even its closest approach being still 44.5 times the distance from Earth to the sun.
RPG NEWS:
Scientists discovered a mysterious new world beyond Pluto, potentially rewriting the solar system's map.
This icy world, temporarily named 2017 OF201, is a distant cousin of Pluto. At its farthest, it's over 1,600 times Earth's distance from the sun; at its closest,… pic.twitter.com/vOMhx1Ihoi — RPG The Random Post Generator (@JimmyMcSqueezle) May 26, 2025
The discovery was announced by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center on May 21, 2025, following extensive research led by Sihao Cheng, a researcher from the Institute for Advanced Study.
Cheng, along with a team of Princeton University graduate students, found the new dwarf planet while searching for a theoretical "Planet 9," a hypothetical world beyond Neptune that may be influencing the behaviour of objects in the outer solar system.
Using advanced computer programs, the team sifted through years of images captured by the Victor M. Blanco Telescope in Chile and the Canada France Hawaii Telescope.
By identifying bright moving spots in the sky, they were able to pinpoint the location of 2017 OF201.
This distant world could potentially qualify as a dwarf planet, with an estimated size of 435 miles in diameter, placing it in a similar category to Pluto.
Despite its distance, the object's discovery challenges the prevailing notion of an empty outer solar system.
What makes 2017 OF201 particularly interesting is its orbit. Unlike most trans-Neptunian objects, which follow more uniform orbits, 2017 OF201's highly eccentric path raises questions about how it ended up so far out in the solar system.
One theory suggests it could have been flung into its wide orbit after encountering a giant planet, such as Neptune or Jupiter.
🚨 New dwarf planet candidate: 2017 OF201 🚨
~700 km wide, now 90.5 AU from the Sun.
Orbit: a = 838 AU, q = 44.9 AU — deep into the inner Oort Cloud.
Possibly part of a hidden population totaling ~1% of Earth's mass.
📄 Paper: https://t.co/zR5Cer6mzr#astronomy #dwarfplanet pic.twitter.com/btZDSHBb2R — Tony Dunn (@tony873004) May 22, 2025
Alternatively, the object may have originated in the mysterious Oort Cloud, a theoretical region of icy bodies surrounding the solar system, before it was ejected and later returned.
In fact, the discovery of 2017 OF201 suggests that the Oort Cloud, long considered a faint and distant region of space, may actually host a much larger number of objects than previously thought.
This revelation could also indicate that other objects similar in size and orbit to 2017 OF201 are lurking out there, waiting to be discovered.
Cheng remains optimistic about the potential for more discoveries in this distant region of space.
"The presence of this single object suggests that there could be another hundred or so other objects with similar orbit and size," Cheng said. "They are just too far away to be detectable right now."
This finding adds another layer of complexity to our understanding of the solar system's outer boundaries. It also raises questions about the very nature of distant space exploration.
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which made history by sending back detailed images of Pluto and its moons in 2015, is currently journeying beyond the Kuiper Belt, the region where Pluto resides.
However, even New Horizons has yet to reach the outermost reaches of the solar system, suggesting that there may be far more out there to discover.
The discovery of 2017 OF201 comes at a time when scientists are reevaluating the structure of the solar system.
Researchers have long speculated about the existence of Planet 9, an elusive object that could be responsible for the odd clustering of distant objects in the outer solar system.
However, the unusual orbit of 2017 OF201 raises doubts about the existence of Planet 9, suggesting that its gravitational effects may not be as pronounced as previously believed.
As astronomers continue to study 2017 OF201 and similar objects, they may uncover new insights into the formation and evolution of our solar system.
With the vastness of space still largely unexplored, this discovery is just one more reminder of the mysteries that lie beyond our current understanding.
The findings are detailed in a paper that has been made available on the arXiv preprint server, offering further insights into this groundbreaking discovery.
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Astronomers have just unveiled an extraordinary discovery in the far reaches of the solar system that could dramatically change the way we view our cosmic neighbourhood. A new dwarf planet, temporarily named 2017 OF201, has been located in a distant orbit far beyond Pluto. The object, which may be a distant cousin of Pluto, has an orbital path so vast that it takes an incredible 25,000 Earth-years to complete one revolution around the sun. To put this into perspective, Pluto's orbit around the sun takes 248 years. At its furthest distance, 2017 OF201 is more than 1,600 times farther from the sun than Earth, with even its closest approach being still 44.5 times the distance from Earth to the sun. RPG NEWS: Scientists discovered a mysterious new world beyond Pluto, potentially rewriting the solar system's map. This icy world, temporarily named 2017 OF201, is a distant cousin of Pluto. At its farthest, it's over 1,600 times Earth's distance from the sun; at its closest,… — RPG The Random Post Generator (@JimmyMcSqueezle) May 26, 2025 The discovery was announced by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center on May 21, 2025, following extensive research led by Sihao Cheng, a researcher from the Institute for Advanced Study. Cheng, along with a team of Princeton University graduate students, found the new dwarf planet while searching for a theoretical "Planet 9," a hypothetical world beyond Neptune that may be influencing the behaviour of objects in the outer solar system. Using advanced computer programs, the team sifted through years of images captured by the Victor M. Blanco Telescope in Chile and the Canada France Hawaii Telescope. By identifying bright moving spots in the sky, they were able to pinpoint the location of 2017 OF201. This distant world could potentially qualify as a dwarf planet, with an estimated size of 435 miles in diameter, placing it in a similar category to Pluto. Despite its distance, the object's discovery challenges the prevailing notion of an empty outer solar system. What makes 2017 OF201 particularly interesting is its orbit. Unlike most trans-Neptunian objects, which follow more uniform orbits, 2017 OF201's highly eccentric path raises questions about how it ended up so far out in the solar system. One theory suggests it could have been flung into its wide orbit after encountering a giant planet, such as Neptune or Jupiter. 🚨 New dwarf planet candidate: 2017 OF201 🚨 ~700 km wide, now 90.5 AU from the Sun. Orbit: a = 838 AU, q = 44.9 AU — deep into the inner Oort Cloud. Possibly part of a hidden population totaling ~1% of Earth's mass. 📄 Paper: #dwarfplanet — Tony Dunn (@tony873004) May 22, 2025 Alternatively, the object may have originated in the mysterious Oort Cloud, a theoretical region of icy bodies surrounding the solar system, before it was ejected and later returned. In fact, the discovery of 2017 OF201 suggests that the Oort Cloud, long considered a faint and distant region of space, may actually host a much larger number of objects than previously thought. This revelation could also indicate that other objects similar in size and orbit to 2017 OF201 are lurking out there, waiting to be discovered. Cheng remains optimistic about the potential for more discoveries in this distant region of space. "The presence of this single object suggests that there could be another hundred or so other objects with similar orbit and size," Cheng said. "They are just too far away to be detectable right now." This finding adds another layer of complexity to our understanding of the solar system's outer boundaries. It also raises questions about the very nature of distant space exploration. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which made history by sending back detailed images of Pluto and its moons in 2015, is currently journeying beyond the Kuiper Belt, the region where Pluto resides. However, even New Horizons has yet to reach the outermost reaches of the solar system, suggesting that there may be far more out there to discover. The discovery of 2017 OF201 comes at a time when scientists are reevaluating the structure of the solar system. Researchers have long speculated about the existence of Planet 9, an elusive object that could be responsible for the odd clustering of distant objects in the outer solar system. However, the unusual orbit of 2017 OF201 raises doubts about the existence of Planet 9, suggesting that its gravitational effects may not be as pronounced as previously believed. As astronomers continue to study 2017 OF201 and similar objects, they may uncover new insights into the formation and evolution of our solar system. With the vastness of space still largely unexplored, this discovery is just one more reminder of the mysteries that lie beyond our current understanding. The findings are detailed in a paper that has been made available on the arXiv preprint server, offering further insights into this groundbreaking discovery.
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