Scientists have recently discovered a possible new dwarf planet in the far outer part of our solar system, known as 2017 OF201, and orbits the sun much farther away than It was found through long-term observation data, which involved taking numerous images of the Kuiper Belt and then observing it using powerful telescopes like the Dark Energy Camera and the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope. 

In order to ascertain whether it satisfies the requirements for being a dwarf planet, scientists are currently attempting to ascertain its size and orbit.

According to scientific estimates, it is about 700 kilometers wide, which qualifies it as a dwarf planet. It can take tens of thousands of years for it to complete one orbit around the sun due to its oval-shaped orbit.

The discovery of  2017 OF201 is important to scientists and astronomers because distant objects like these help them discover more about our universe and solar system and even the possible planets beyond Neptune that we don’t know about yet that could very well be in our solar system. 

Compared to Pluto, 2017 OF201 is slightly smaller. Pluto is about 2,370 kilometers wide while 2017 OF201 is only estimated to be about 700 kilometers wide. Another difference is that 2017 OF201’s orbit takes a lot more time then plutos, 2017 OF201’s is around 24,272 years while plutos only takes 248 years.

This discovery of a new dwarf planet really shows us just how much of a mystery the universe truly is. It also means that there could be more planets or dwarf planets in our solar system beyond Neptune that we are yet to discover. As scientists continue to explore and observe, our technology will further evolve allowing us to learn more about the universe.