2. In 2006, a new and distinct class of celestial
objects was named by the International
Astronomical Union (IAU). They were called
“dwarf planets”. According to the IAU, a celestial
body is classified as a dwarf planet if it exhibits
the following characteristics:
Dwarf Planets
3. 1. It is in orbit around the sun.
2. It has sufficient mass for its self gravity to
overcome rigid body forces so that it
assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly
round) shape.
3. It has not cleared the neighborhood around
its orbit.
4. It is not a satellite (a moon).
Dwarf Planets…Continued
4. At this moment scientists found 5 bodies in our
solar system which fall into the category of
Dwarf Planets.
Dwarf Planets…Continued
5. Pluto: was considered as planet before 2006 but
as new bodies of the similar size found in its
orbit it was demoted to the category of ‘dwarf
planet’.
6. Eris: is the most distant dwarf planet from the
sun and has the greatest mass. Eris is the second
largest planet (very a close second to Pluto) and
at one point was considered for the position of
the 10th planet.
7. Haumea: is the third closest dwarf planet from
the sun and is unique in its elongated shape
making it the least spherical of this dwarf
planets.
8. Makemake: is the second furthest dwarf planet
from the sun and is the third largest dwarf
planet in the solar system. Makemake was
discovered on March 31st 2005 and was
recognized as a dwarf planet by the
International Astronomical Union (IAU) in July,
2008.
9. Ceres: is the closest dwarf planet to the sun and
is located in the asteroid belt, between Mars
and Jupiter, making it the only dwarf planet in
the inner solar system. Ceres is the smallest of
the bodies current classified as dwarf planets
with a diameter of 950km.