Ceres
Between Mars and Jupiter, Ceres is both the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt and also the smallest dwarf planet in the solar system. Despite looking like just a ball of cratered rock, this dwarf planet actually has its own share of surprises.
Ceres Stats
Average distance from Sun: 414.015 million km
Perihelion: 382.63 million km Aphelion: 445.40 million km Mass: 0.ooo16 times Earth Dimensions: 965 x 961 x 891 km Volume: 0.00039 times Earth Gravity: 0.03 times Earth (0.27 N/kg) Temperature: -38 C to -143 C Rotation: 9.074 hours Revolution: 1681 Earth days Type: Dwarf planet Namesake: Ceres was the Roman goddess of wheat and agriculture. Her Greek form is Demeter. |
Ceres Facts
- CERES TAKES UP 1/3 OF THE ASTEROID BELT'S MASS, but is still the smallest of the dwarf planets.
- CERES HAS WHITE SPOTS. These white spots are made of reflective material.
- CERES LOSES 6 kg OF MASS EVERY SECOND. This is due to the dwarf planet spewing steam into space.
- CERES IS THE ONLY DWARF PLANET WITHOUT MOONS. Every other dwarf planet has at least a moon (Makemake was once thought to have none, but recently was discovered to have a moon)
- CERES IS THE FIRST ASTEROID DISCOVERED AND THE FIRST DWARF PLANET VISITED BY A SPACE PROBE. Ceres was discovered in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi. The Dawn space probe (image below) arrived at Ceres in 2015, not long before Pluto was visited a few months later.