Scientists using the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory have identified a large object beyond Pluto that may qualify as a dwarf planet. The National Science Foundation announced the discovery on October 27. Its provisional designation is 2026 ED138.

The object appeared near the plane of the Milky Way, where a crowded background of stars can conceal a faint moving neighbor. Repeated observations and data analysis helped researchers pick out its motion.

Its classification is still provisional. Other observatories can now follow it to learn more about its nature. The discovery is an encouraging demonstration of what careful, repeated watching can reveal: even our own solar system has significant objects waiting to be noticed.

Source published October 27, 2026.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk installed and deployed the International Space Station's eighth and final roll-out solar array on November 5. Their spacewalk lasted six hours and 59 minutes.

The installation completes a power-augmentation project that began in February 2021. NASA says the roll-out arrays together increase the station's power generation capacity from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts.

That figure describes generation capacity, not a constant output in every operating condition. The achievement is the completed installation: years of preparation and a succession of spacewalks have given the orbiting laboratory a stronger electrical supply.

Source published November 5, 2026.