Dwarf Planets - Pluto Facts - Eris Planet

Dwarf Planets

Dwarf Planet Facts

The dwarf planets are Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Makemake and Haumea.
Ceres is in the asteroid belt, a region of rocky bodies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Pluto, Eris, Makemake and Haumea orbit in the Kuiper Belt, a region of icy bodies 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion km) from the sun. These objects are also classified as Plutoids.
The largest dwarf planet is Eris which is around two thirds the size of our moon.
At its furthest point Eris orbits the sun at a distance of 14 billion km and takes 557 years to make one orbit.
The smallest dwarf planet is Ceres which is around a quarter of the size of our moon.
Ceres was previously classified as an asteroid.
The dwarf planet Pluto has a very thin atmosphere consisting of nitrogen, methane and carbon dioxide.
The largest moon of Pluto, Charon, is half the size of the former planet.
Eris, Makemake and Haumea were discovered between 2003-2005.

When is a planet not a planet?

In 2001 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to modify the definition of what constitutes a planet. These definitions were again changed in 2003 and 2006. Now the definition of a planet is that it orbits the sun, is large enough to form a round shape and has cleared similar objects that orbit in its neighborhood.

These new definitions meant that poor old Pluto was now no longer considered a planet. So what is Pluto now? Well it is now considered a "dwarf planet" because even though it is large enough to have formed a round shape it has not cleared similar objects that orbit in its neighborhood. To further complicate matters yet another definition was introduced in 2008, "plutoids", which are dwarf planets which spend most of the time outside of Neptune's orbit.

Surface of Pluto

Artists impression of Pluto's frozen surface

Dwarf Planet Eris

Artists impression of the distant dwarf planet Eris

Dwarf Planet Pluto

In 2006 the International Astronomical Union made the controversial decision to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet. The new definitions of a planet included that it must have its own orbit around the sun, as Pluto orbits in the Kuiper Belt with other similar objects it could no longer continue to be seen as a planet.

The far flung former planet which is smaller than our moon orbits the sun at an average distance of almost 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles), with temperatures in its coldest areas just a few degrees above absolute zero. Unusually its orbit is highly elliptical sometimes bringing it closer to the sun than Neptune. As a result Pluto has seasons, during the periods that it is closer to the sun the planet heats up slightly, vaporizing the nitrogen based ice and snow on its surface creating a hazy atmosphere. The effects of solar wind strip most of this atmosphere away, as a result of this process Pluto has lost around one kilometer of ice from its surface since its formation. Light breezes blow the remainder of the atmosphere to the colder side of the planet where it once again freezes and falls to the surface as snow.

Pluto has more moons than previously thought, the count is now at five and may increase, the largest of these is Charon which is around half the size of the planet. Due to its large size in comparison to the planet the moon doesn’t actually orbit around Pluto, they essentially orbit around each other, as a result some astronomers consider Pluto and Charon to be twin planets. Their orbits are also locked meaning that the moon is only ever visible from one side of the planet.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by the American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, his ashes are on board the NASA spacecraft New Horizons which is speeding towards the planet due for arrival in July 2015. During its flyby many of Pluto’s secrets will be revealed along with a few surprises.

Future Missions to Dwarf Planets

Dawn

Launch: September 2007
Arrival: February 2015
Agency: NASA

Dawn has already completed the first part of its mission which was to study the large asteroid Vesta. It successfully entered into orbit around the asteroid in July 2011 before leaving in September 2012. The craft is now on its way to the dwarf planet Ceres and is due to arrive in February 2015. If Dawn successfully enters into orbit around Ceres it will be the first craft to orbit two separate bodies. This audacious attempt is thanks to the crafts ion propulsion engine (pictured left), which is more fuel efficient than a conventional chemical rocket allowing it to make more maneuvers and run for longer. The goal of the mission is to characterize the early solar system and determine how size and the presence of water influenced the evolution of planets.

New Horizons

Launch: January 2006
Arrival: July 2015
Agency: NASA

NASA launched New Horizons in January 2006 thus taking advantage of a once in a life time chance to use Jupiter as a gravity assist towards Pluto. It should arrive at Pluto in July 2015 thus becoming the first spacecraft ever to visit the planet. New Horizons will make a flyby of the dwarf planet at a distance of 6,000 miles (9,600 km) and its moon Charon at a distance of 17,000 miles (27,000 km).

Pluto Statistics

Diameter: 1,429 miles (2,300 km)
Average Distance from Sun: 3.6 billion miles (5.9 billion km)
Orbital Period: 248 years
Rotation Period: 6.39 days
Moons: 5

Maximum Surface Temperatures: -218C (-360F)
Minimum Surface Temperatures: -240C (-400F)

Mass: 0.22% Earth's Mass
Density: 40% Earth's Density

Atmosphere: Nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide.

Discovery Date: 1930

Ceres Statistics

Diameter: 590 miles (950 km)
Average Distance from Sun: 257 million miles (414 million km)
Orbital Period: 4.6 years
Rotation Period: 9 hours
Moons: 0

Maximum Surface Temperatures: -37C (-35F)
Minimum Surface Temperatures: -143C (-225F)

Mass: 0.015% Earth's Mass
Density: 38% Earth's Density

Atmosphere: Unknown.

Discovery Date: 1801

Eris Statistics

Diameter: 1,442 miles (2,320 km)
Average Distance from Sun: 6.3 billion miles (10.2 billion km)
Orbital Period: 557 years
Rotation Period: 26 hours
Moons: 1

Maximum Surface Temperatures: -217C (-359F)
Minimum Surface Temperatures: -240C (-405F)

Mass: 0.28% Earth's Mass
Density: 46% Earth's Density

Atmosphere: Tenuous atmosphere consisting of methane.

Discovery Date: 2005

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