This past October, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory announced a new dwarf planet candidate orbiting beyond Pluto, named 2026 ED138. If it’s confirmed, it would be the first addition to the solar system’s official list of dwarf planets since 2008. It was a proud moment for us when the researchers used our newly upgraded ADAM::Precovery service to look back in time, finding images as far back as 2016. Our team has been building toward moments like this for years, and the work in this report is what made it possible.

Over the past year, the Asteroid Institute grew the ADAM platform to nearly 12 billion astronomical observations and made major improvements to ADAM::Precovery. It also launched ADAM::Ephemeris, a new service that predicts where asteroids will appear in the sky. Along with upgrades to ADAM’s core infrastructure, these tools turn years of archived sky data into a resource for discovery and exploration.

2026 was also a milestone year for asteroid education. More than 740 Asteroid Day events took place worldwide, and for the first time the U.S. Senate formally recognized June 30 as Asteroid Day. In Flagstaff, Arizona, we awarded the Schweickart Prize to two emerging researchers. Their proposal calls for greater international cooperation as humanity expands its presence in space.

None of this would be possible without our community of supporters. We’re especially grateful to our Leadership Circle members Laurie Girand and Scott McGregor, the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation, Alison and Steve Krausz, Maryann and John Montrym, Tito’s CHEERS, and Google Cloud, along with our many partners and donors around the world. Become part of the crew and donate today.

Read the full 2026 Annual Report.

Click here to download the full 2026 Annual Report.