Astronomers have recently discovered a new dwarf planet, Quaoar, in the outermost reaches of our solar system. Quaoar is located in the Kuiper Belt, a region of icy, rocky objects beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is estimated to be 1,200 kilometers in diameter, making it one of the largest known dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt. Quaoar has a highly elliptical orbit that takes it from beyond the orbit of Neptune out to nearly twice as far away. It takes 288 years for Quaoar to orbit the Sun once!

This newly discovered dwarf planet is a fascinating addition to the outermost reaches of our solar system. Quaoar’s large size and elongated orbit make it an especially intriguing object to study. Astronomers are sure to be busy gathering data and learning more about this distant, icy world.

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source: Phys.org