First Exosatellite Candidate Discovered

Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope have detected a candidate exosatellite, a moon-like object orbiting a brown dwarf in the CD-35 2722 system, about 72 light-years away. The object, at least as massive as Jupiter, orbits a brown dwarf that itself orbits a star. This is the first plausible detection of an exosatellite, though confirmation is pending. The discovery challenges existing definitions of moons and planets, as the object is massive enough to be a planet but orbits a substellar object. The findings were published in Nature on July 22, 2026, by a team led by Kevin Hoy and including Alice Zurlo. Further observations with the VLT or James Webb Space Telescope are needed to confirm the orbit.