Possible new world beyond Pluto & Hera sees its asteroid targets - Space News (Oct 28, 2026)

Support The Automated Daily directly: 15 free episodes a day, 5 editions, 3 languages, about $4 a day to produce. A coffee keeps it going: theautomateddaily.com/support Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Prezi: Create AI presentations fast - https://try.prezi.com/automated_daily - Invest Like the Pros with StockMVP - https://www.stock-mvp.com/?via=ron - Discover the Future of AI Audio with ElevenLabs - https://try.elevenlabs.io/tad Today's topics: Possible new world beyond Pluto - Rubin Observatory has discovered 2026 ED138, a large trans-Neptunian object and possible dwarf planet beyond Pluto. Its exceptional brightness suggests the outer Solar System may still contain substantial undiscovered worlds. [55] Hera sees its asteroid targets - ESA’s Hera spacecraft has separately imaged Didymos and Dimorphos for the first time. The planetary-defense mission is approaching the asteroid pair to study the lasting effects of NASA’s deliberate DART impact. [195] Interstellar comet carries familiar ice - Webb observations show that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS contains tiny grains of water ice mixed with dust. Their similarity to material beyond Neptune hints that planetary systems around different stars may share common icy building blocks. [136] Lava planet keeps surprising atmosphere - The extreme exoplanet TOI-561 b appears to retain a thick, reflective atmosphere despite intense heat and radiation. Webb data suggest mineral clouds could cool this lava world by reflecting much of its incoming starlight. [64] Planets survive a star’s death - Astronomers have identified two debris rings around the white dwarf J1328−1450. The rings may be maintained by surviving planetary bodies, offering a preview of how planetary systems can evolve after their stars die. [100] Webb finds distant ring galaxy - The James Webb Space Telescope has identified GS18660, the most distant known ring galaxy. Its newborn stars and possible companion indicate that a violent collision shaped the galaxy early in cosmic history. [76] Could black holes split apart - New theoretical research finds that a black hole spinning near the maximum rate allowed by physics might be able to divide into two. The scenario remains speculative and would require extraordinarily rare conditions. [150] Episode Transcript Possible new world beyond Pluto Our first story comes from the distant outskirts of the Solar System. Astronomers working with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have identified a large, icy object beyond Pluto. For now, it carries the provisional designation 2026 ED138, and scientists are calling it a dwarf planet candidate rather than a confirmed dwarf planet. Early estimates leave plenty of uncertainty about its exact size, but its brightness suggests it could rank among the largest objects found in this remote region. The discovery is notable not only for the object itself, but also for what it says about Rubin Observatory. Its main sky survey is designed to repeatedly scan enormous areas of the heavens, making it particularly good at catching faint objects that slowly change position. ED138 may therefore be an early