Astronomers just discovered the farthest object in the solar system - “2018 VG18″
On December 17, 2018, astronomers announced the discovery of the most distant known object in the Solar System: a trans-Neptunian object designated 2018 VG18. Nicknamed “Farout” by its discoverers, the object is currently positioned at a distance of roughly 120 AU from the Sun, twice the average distance of Eris, the previous record-holder for distance. 2018 VG18 appears to be roughly 500 km in diameter, potentially qualifying it as a dwarf planet.
At this distance, 2018 VG18 moves very slowly across the sky, so astronomers will only be able to measure an accurate orbit after several years of observations.
The Magellan observations confirmed that 2018 VG18 is around 120 AU, making it the first Solar System object observed beyond 100 AU. Its brightness suggests that it is about 500 km in diameter, likely making it spherical in shape and a dwarf planet. It has a pinkish hue, a color generally associated with ice-rich objects.
