From the far reaches of the solar system to one of the world’s most famous paintings, three recent science stories offer new reasons to look a little closer at the universe.

Our resident Science Guy, Joe Johnson, joined Jason Dole to explore a newly discovered dwarf planet, an ambitious mission to one of Mars’ moons and new research into the night sky depicted in Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night.

A new dwarf planet beyond Neptune

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile and the International Astronomical Union announced Oct. 27 the discovery of a new dwarf planet candidate, designated 2026 ED138. Located in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune, the object is about 4.5 billion miles from the sun, or roughly 46 times Earth’s distance. It takes an estimated 280 years to complete an orbit.

Scientists estimate its diameter at between 370 and 970 miles. If confirmed, it would become the solar system’s sixth recognized dwarf planet, joining Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake and Ceres.

Johnson said the discovery is an early sign of what may come from the Rubin Observatory, which is beginning a 10-year survey that scans the Southern Hemisphere sky every two to three nights. Researchers will also examine earlier observations to learn more about the newly identified object.

A mission to explore one of Mars’ potato-shaped moons

A joint Japanese and European Space Agency mission called Mars Moons Exploration, or MMX, launched Oct. 20 with plans to study Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons.

About 17 miles across, Phobos has so little gravity that a 55-pound rover would weigh the equivalent of about half an ounce on its surface. The mission plans to deploy a small rover and eventually collect about 10 grams of material for return to Earth. Scientists hope the samples will help determine whether Phobos formed from debris blasted off Mars or is a captured asteroid.

The astronomy behind Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’

Research suggests that The Starry Night may depict the sky over southern France before dawn on July 22, 1889. Researchers compared the painting’s stars with astronomical observations, identifying a close match with the Hyades star cluster, along with the positions of Venus and the moon.

The findings offer a possible explanation for the sky that inspired Van Gogh, though Johnson noted that the interpretation remains debated.