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The term ‘Dwarf planets’ was introduced as a new category of globes by the International Astronomical Union in 2006. For a celestial body to qualify as a Dwarf planet, it has to fulfil three criteria: one, the object must orbit the sun; two, the object must be huge enough for its own gravity to pull it into a shape of mostly a sphere; three, the object has not cleared their orbits of other objects. There are currently five officially recognised Dwarf planets in the solar system: Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Makemake, and Haumea.
What are Dwarf planets?
The International Astronomical Union describes a “planet” with three criteria; one, the object must orbit the sun; two, the object must be huge enough for its own gravity to pull it into the shape of a sphere; three, the object has not cleared its orbits of other objects. The difference between a “planet” and a “Dwarf planet” can be understood from the point of last criteria; the gravity of a planet either pushes away or attracts other smaller celestial bodies that intersect its orbit, whereas a Dwarf planet’s gravity is not enough for this to happen.
The five currently officially recognised Dwarf planets in the solar system are: Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Makemake, and Haumea. They are not the only Dwarf planets that exist in the Universe, though. Other celestial bodies such as Quaoar and Sedna are possibly Dwarf planets as well. 2012 VP113 is an object that is considered to possess one of the most distant orbits that are found beyond the known edge of the solar system.
NASA’s Scientists believe that there are more than a hundred Dwarf planets that can be discovered in the upcoming future. However, the debate on the classification of Dwarf planets stays trending, particularly the status of Pluto in the solar system.
History of the Concept of “Dwarf planets.”
In 1801, Ceres was observed between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Ceres and other found bodies were named as planets for a period of decades. From there till 1851, the number of known planets was as large as 23; that is when the term minor planet started being used to describe the smaller bodies rather than major planets.
Formerly known as a major planet, Pluto was discovered in 1930. Initially, Pluto was believed to be much larger than Mercury. Later on, as the moon of Pluto, Charon, was discovered, the mass of Pluto determined became questionable. It was discovered that the mass of Pluto was roughly 1/12th of the mass of Mercury, making it the smallest planet in the solar system. But, the mass of Pluto was still more than ten times larger than the largest object found in the asteroid belt.
In the 1990s, scientists started to discover objects in the same region as Pluto and even in space farther away. The space is now known as the Kuiper belt. Alongside the other notable characteristics of Pluto, such as a high orbital inclination and a large orbital eccentricity, Pluto was classified as the largest member of the new class of objects known as Plutios. Thereafter, Pluto was reclassified just as Ceres was reclassified when more solar bodies were found.
The Five Dwarf Planets
- Ceres Dwarf planet – Found in 1801, located in the asteroid belt.
- Pluto Dwarf planet – Found in 1930, located in the Kuiper belt.
- Eris Dwarf planet – Found in 2003, located in the Kuiper belt.
- Makemake Dwarf planet – Found in 2005, located in the Kuiper belt.
- Haumea Dwarf planet – Found in 2003, located in the Kuiper belt.
Conclusion
Hence, that’s a wrap on understanding Dwarf planets. We discussed what Dwarf planets are, along with the history of the concept and understanding of the five official Dwarf planets in our solar system. We concluded that for a celestial body to qualify as a Dwarf planet, it has to fulfil three criteria: one, the object must orbit the sun; two, the object must be huge enough for its own gravity to pull it into a shape of mostly a sphere; three, the object has not cleared their orbits of other objects. Moreover, we also covered the history of Pluto being reclassified as a Dwarf planet.
