Dwarf Planets

Dwarf planets are celestial bodies which orbit the Sun in a straight orbit. Unlike other planets, it is large enough to be drawn into a nearly spherical form by gravity and has not pushed other smaller celestial objects out of its orbital path. Astronomers estimate that the solar system and Kuiper Belt include up to 200 dwarf planets. Scientists can follow a scientific breadcrumb trail left by these dwarf planets back in time to discover more about the solar system’s origins.

Planets

A planet is a celestial body which orbits the Sun and is smaller than the stars, but has enough mass to resist the rigid body forces due to its own gravity.

The name “planet” relates to celestial bodies which follow a definite path around a star. It is huge enough to take the shape of a spherical object due to gravity, but not massive enough to produce nuclear processes. The planets in our solar system are divided into two groups:

Inner Planets

Planets whose orbits are contained within the asteroid belt are known as inner planets. Rocks and metals are examples of small, solid elements. The Solar System includes planets like Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Outer Planets

Outer planets are asteroids that orbit beyond the asteroid belt. They are larger than the inner planets and have a ring around them. These planets are made up of gases like hydrogen, helium, and others. This constellation includes Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Dwarf Planet

Dwarf planets orbit a star, are almost spherical, and are typically surrounded by large things such as comets, asteroids, or other dwarf planets. The name dwarf planet was coined by planetary scientist Alan Stern as part of a three-part classification system for planetary-mass objects in the Solar System: classic planets, dwarf planets, and satellite planets. Dwarf planets lack the gravitational forces necessary to pull all of the material in their orbits in. The International Astronomical Union, that is the authority on the nomenclature and classification of celestial objects, has officially acknowledged Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Make make, and dozens of additional minor planets.

Dissimilarity Between a Dwarf Planet and a Planet

The primary difference between a planet and a dwarf planet is the territory surrounding each celestial entity. Since it has cleared the area around its orbit, a planet has become gravitationally dominant. A dwarf planet, on the other hand, has not become gravitationally dominant, which means that its orbital zone is shared with other worlds of similar size. Pluto, Ceres, and Eris, three objects in our solar system, have been categorized as dwarf planets since the revised classification.

Criteria of Dwarf Planets

Dwarf planets are large things which aren’t quite big enough to be called planets. It is, ultimately, considerably too huge to be divided into more modest sections. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) characterizes a planet as something which fits the following criteria:

Its orbit revolves around the Sun.

Has enough gravitational pull to mould its bulk into a spherical form.

More modest objects have been removed from its circle.

Planets and dwarf planets are distinguished at this stage. Smaller objects which would hinder a planet’s orbit would be attracted or repelled by the planet’s gravity. The dwarf planet’s gravity, on the other hand, is insufficient to keep this going.

Dwarf Planets Examples

There are many examples of dwarf planets some are given below:

Ceres

Ceres is the smallest and oldest dwarf planet in the present category. Giuseppe Piazzi, a Sicilian astronomer, identified Ceres in 1801 based on a hypothesis that a missing planet existed between Mars and Jupiter. It has a diameter of 1590 miles and a mass of only 0.015 percent that of Earth.

Pluto

Among the dwarf planets, Pluto is the most well-known. It had been recognized as the ninth planet from the sun since its discovery in 1930 until 2006. Pluto’s orbit, on the other hand, was so unpredictable that it came closer to the sun than the eighth planet, Neptune, at times. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006, following the finding of many other stony planets which were similar in size or larger than Pluto.

Eris

Eris was supposed to be the largest of the dwarf planets since it was discovered, with a mass 27% greater than Pluto’s and a diameter of 1400 to 1500 miles. 

Haumea and Makemake

Haumea and Makemake are the solar system’s most newly found dwarf planets.

Haumea is unique due to its ellipsoid shape, just meeting the hydrostatic equilibrium threshold for minor planet identification. The dwarf planet’s elongated shape is due to its high rotational spin rather than a lack of mass, which is roughly one-third of Pluto’s.

Dwarf planets as ‘plutoids’

Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake are all considered as “plutoids,” unlike the asteroidal dwarf planetoid Ceres. A plutoid is a dwarf planet that orbits beyond the orbit of Neptune. Because of their diminutive size and frigid surface temperatures, Plutoids are commonly referred to as “ice dwarfs.”

Conclusion

Dwarf planets are rare and typically have characteristics which make them obvious outliers in their solar system’s surroundings. Studying them and identifying their peculiar qualities has resulted in significant advances in our knowledge of our solar system and its history.