DWARF PLANETS

Earth - Dwarf Planet Size Comparison



  • In 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) adopted the term dwarf planet as part of a three-way categorization of bodies orbiting the Sun. The term dwarf planet is defined as a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity but has not cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals and is not a satellite.

  • At present, there are only 5 dwarf planets recognized by the IAU: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. In a region refered to as the Kuiper Belt, located just beyond the orbit of Neptune, it is believed to be at least 40 more dwarf planets and up to as many as 2,000.

  • Of the 5 known dwarf planets, all but Ceres are located beyond Neptune's orbit. Ceres is located in the asteroid belt and contains almost one third of the belt's total mass.

  • Even though we recognize the existence of dwarf planets in our solar system, very little is known about them, including the 5 named ones. To date no space probes have visited any dwarf planets, but that will change in 2015 when "Dawn" visits Ceres and "New Horizons" visits Pluto.

  • Listed below is the statistical data for each of the 5 known dwarf planets as of June 2010:

    • Ceres Information:
    • MASS: ≈ 0.95×1021 kg
    • DIAMETER: ≈ 974.6±3.2 km
    • TEMPERATURE: ≈ -159.07°F
    • SATELLITES: 0

    Pluto Information:
    • MASS: ≈ 13.05×1021 kg
    • DIAMETER: ≈ 2306±30 km
    • TEMPERATURE: ≈ -380.47°F
    • SATELLITES: 3

    Haumea Information:
    • MASS: ≈ 4.2±0.1×1021 kg
    • DIAMETER: ≈ 1150+250-100
    • TEMPERATURE: ≈ -402.07±-454.27°F
    • SATELLITES: 2

    Makemake Information:
    • MASS: N/A
    • DIAMETER: N/A
    • TEMPERATURE: N/A
    • SATELLITES: 0

    Eris Information:
    • MASS: ≈ 16.7×1021 kg
    • DIAMETER: ≈ 2400±100 km
    • TEMPERATURE: ≈ -384.07°F
    • SATELLITES: 1

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