DWARF PLANET

The definition of a planet was revised again in 2006. According to NASA, the International
Astronomical Union (IAU ) most recently defines a planet as a celestial body that:

1. Is in orbit around a star, but is not itself a orbit.
2. Has sufficient mass so it is nearly spherical in shape.
3. Has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.

On the other hand, a dwarf planet is defined as a celestial body that:

1. Is in orbit around a star, but is not itself a satellite.
2. Has sufficient mass so it is nearly spherical in shape.
3. Has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.

The only difference between a planet and a dwarf planet is the area surrounding each celestial
body. A dwarf planet has not cleared the area around its orbit, while a planet has. Since the new
definition, three objects in our solar system have been classified as dwarf planets: Pluto, Ceres and
Eris.

PLUTO

For 76 years (until 2006 ), Pluto was known as the ninth planet in our solar system. Since then,
Pluto has been relegated to dwarf planet status. Discovered in 1930,
Pluto is a member of the outer region of our solar system known as
the Kuiper belt. It has a highly inclined and eccentric 248- year orbit
around the Sun. As the second- largest known dwarf planet, Pluto is
approximately 2, 390 km. in diameter and is composed primarily of
ice and rock. It is very difficult to precisely determine the diameter of
Pluto since it is so far away. Pluto is, on average, 40 times farther
from the Sun than Earth.
The New Horizons spacecraft, scheduled to arrive at Pluto in 2015, will be able to provide us
with more accurate measurements of Pluto. Plutos surface is made almost entirely of nitrogen ice,
with traces of methane and carbon monoxide. Data from Hubble Space Telescope leads scientists to
believe Plutos interior is about 60% rock and 40% ice, which is consistent with the composition of a
comet. Pluto has a thin atmosphere made of the same components of its surface: nitrogen, methane
and carbon monoxide. Like a comet, Plutos atmosphere freezes as it moves away from the Sun and
the ices sublimate as it approaches the Sun.



ERIS

Discovered in 2005, Eris is now the largest known dwarf planet in our
solar system. Its diameter is estimated at 3000 km, and it weighs roughly 1.66
x 1022 kg, which is about 27% more massive than Pluto. Like Pluto, it is very
difficult to make precise measurements of Eris diameter and mass, but these
are the most updated estimates. Eris orbits the Sun at the far reaches of our
solar system in an area known as the scattered disk. Scattered disk objects
(SDOs ) tend to have highly inclined and eccentric orbits. Eris orbit is tilted at
an angle of 44 degrees with respect to the ecliptic. You can see from the
picture how much more inclined this is compared to Plutos orbit, which is
tilted only 17 degrees to the ecliptic. Eris orbital period is just over 556 years. Currently, at a distance
of about 97 AU, Eris is at aphelion. It wont be closest to the Sun, at perihelion, until
March 2257.
Eris has one known moon, Dysnomia, named for the mythological daughter of
Eris. Dysnomias diameter is estimated to be less than 150 km. It takes only 15 days
for Dysnomia to orbit Eris at a distance of about 37, 370 km. It is thought that
Dysnomia formed around Eris in a similar away our Moon formed around Earth. This
theory states that Earth was involved in a major collision with an object over 1000 km
across that ejected a lot of material from the surface of the Earth. This material
eventually combined to form our Moon.

CERES

Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi discovered Ceres in 1801. First
classified as a planet, Ceres was later catalogued as an asteroid. With the
discovery of Eris in 2005, after 150 years as the head of the asteroid belt,
Ceres became the solar systems smallest dwarf planet. Ceres still the
largest and by far the most massive member of the asteroid belt. The
diameter of Ceres is about 950 km and it alone makes up one third of the
asteroid belts total mass.
Launched in the summer of 2007, NASAs Dawn spacecraft is
headed for two of the asteroid belts largest objects. Dawn is scheduled to
arrive at the asteroid Vesta in 2011, and collect data during a series of orbits. After four years of
interplanetary travel, Dawn will arrive at Ceres to collect more information on the newly designated
dwarf planet.