Category Archives: Dwarf Planets

includes Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Sedna, etc.

Pluto: New Horizon

Posted on April 9, 2023 by niqretnuh

Pluto, a dwarf planet farther out than Neptune in the Kuiper Belt, was once thought to be the ninth planet of our solar system. However, the discovery of Pluto’s moon, Charon, led to the revision of calculations on Pluto’s mass, and the redefinition of planets finally “kicked” Pluto out of the solar system planets since […] Continue reading →

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The Frozen World: Pluto

Posted on April 9, 2023 by sahilreddy2

Pluto’s Icey Surface taken from the New Horizons Spacecraft Pluto is one of the most interesting “planets” in our solar system and for decades now has had constant debate surrounding it. Pluto has an extremely thin atmosphere, one that is a lot thinner than ours on earth that is made up of primarily nitrogen. Its […] Continue reading →

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Strange Dwarf Planets!

Posted on April 9, 2023 by brandodan

We all recognize Pluto as one of the most famous dwarf planets in our solar system. Since its reclassification in 2006, moreover, it has continued to intrigue both astronomers and the general public. From its icy surface to its various moons, Pluto is an incredibly unique world. However, there are many more interesting dwarf planets […] Continue reading →

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Ceres, the Celebrity of the Asteroid Belt

Posted on April 8, 2023 by willems49

Despite comprising almost a third of the asteroid belt’s total mass, Ceres is often left out of dwarf planet discussions. However, Ceres is actually pretty unique and could potentially support life in the future. Because of its relative closeness compared to the likes of Pluto, it was the first dwarf planet to be visited by […] Continue reading →

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The Kuiper Belt: Exploring New Horizons

Posted on April 7, 2023 by 7smessier45

Hello (again), and welcome (back) to my Astronomy Blog! Today’s post is about the Kuiper Belt and its objects.  What is the Kuiper Belt?  The Kuiper (Kai-per) Belt is a donut-shaped region beyond the orbit of Neptune. Within the Kuiper Belt, it is estimated that millions of icy objects (or even trillions of these objects, […] Continue reading →

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Blog 5 – Pluto

Posted on April 5, 2023 by Melanie Marszal

Many of us may remember back when we were younger and Pluto was still considered to be one of the nine planets in our Solar System. What happened? Below I will explain the reasons Pluto is no longer considered to be a 9th planet as well as some arguments for why it should be. Anti-planet: […] Continue reading →

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Pluto: dwarfPLANET

Posted on April 16, 2022 by joubertklopper

Growing up with Pluto being known as the ninth planet, I’m interested in Pluto, its uniqueness and why it was revoked of the prestigious planetary title. The discovery of other planetary objects in the outer solar system today known as dwarf planets made the switch of Pluto’s classification from a planet to a dwarf planet. […] Continue reading →

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The Heart of Pluto

Posted on April 18, 2021 by solarcecily

Pluto’s beloved carotid glacier, Tombaugh Regio, has been the apple of astronomers’ eyes ever since New Horizons made its fly-by in 2015. This fly-by gave us the highest resolution images of Pluto we’ve ever been able to capture, and in these new photos, a particular feature on the dwarf planet’s surface rose to a meteoricContinue reading “The Heart of Pluto” Continue reading →

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A Dwarf Planet is Still Cool!

Posted on April 17, 2021 by adisonfields

On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union changed Pluto’s status from planet to dwarf planet.  This caused an outrage amongst the public.  Memes were created and shared expressing Pluto’s sadness at its “demotion” from planetary status.  Textbooks had to be changed and the general public was oddly passionate over an object in space’s official title.  Nevertheless, people wereContinue reading “A Dwarf Planet is Still Cool!” Continue reading →

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What Is A Dwarf Planet, Anyway?

Posted on April 17, 2021 by alliefrymire

Given all our discussions of Pluto and the other “dwarf planets” of our solar system, you may be interested in just how astronomers differentiate a dwarf planet from a “regular” planet. According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia (not being sarcastic, Wikipedia is generally very trustworthy these days!), there are three characteristics that define a dwarf planet. … Continue reading What Is A Dwarf Planet, Anyway? → Continue reading →

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