Astronomers have discovered a new world on the outer edges of our solar system. Using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, researchers spotted a distant, small object called 2023 KQ14, which lies far beyond Pluto. They've given it the nickname 'Ammonite.'
2023 KQ14 belongs to a rare class known as 'Sednoids'—icy, rocky bodies found at the fringes of the solar system, similar to the objects in the Kuiper Belt or dwarf planets like Pluto.
So far, only four objects of this kind have been identified in our solar system. 2023 KQ14 is located 71 times farther from the Sun than the distance between Earth and the Sun.
This object follows a unique, elongated orbit that has remained stable for nearly 4.5 billion years. Scientists found that 2023 KQ14's orbit was similar to other Sednoids billions of years ago, but it has mysteriously changed over time. This suggests that the outer reaches of the solar system are more complex than previously thought.
These findings make the existence of the so-called 'Ninth Planet' less likely, as 2023 KQ14's orbit does not match the predicted path of this hypothetical planet. Instead, the discovery hints at the possibility of an unusual event in the distant past—such as the ejection of a planet—that could have shaped these strange orbits.
