1answer.
Ask question
Login Signup
Ask question
All categories
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Social Studies
  • Business
  • History
  • Health
  • Geography
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Computers and Technology
  • Arts
  • World Languages
  • Spanish
  • French
  • German
  • Advanced Placement (AP)
  • SAT
  • Medicine
  • Law
  • Engineering
Genrish500 [490]
3 years ago
8

Describe dwarf planets and their orbits in the solar system

Biology
1 answer:
WITCHER [35]3 years ago
6 0
        Dwarf Planets<span> of Our </span>Solar System<span> (Infographic) Pluto was demoted to </span>dwarf<span> planet status in 2006, joining Eris, Haumea, Makemake and Ceres. ...

      Pluto, discovered in 1930, </span>orbits<span> the sun at an average of 39.5 times the Earth's distance. </span>Its<span> diameter is 1,430 miles (2,302 km)

</span>

Dwarf planets are worlds that are too small to be considered full-fledged planets, but too large to fall into smaller categories.

In recent years, there's been a lot of hubbub about Pluto losing its status as one of the planets of the solar system. Pluto is no longer considered the ninth planet in the series of major planetary objects, but instead is now just one of the many so-called "dwarf planets." The debate started anew after the New Horizons mission passed by Pluto in 2015, revealing a world of surprising geological complexity. As of 2017, delegates from the mission are trying to get Pluto's planethood status back. 

Astronomers estimate that there could be as many as 200 dwarf planets in the solar system and the Kuiper Belt. But the differences between planets and dwarf planets may not be obvious at first. 

Dwarf planets of the solar system

The International Astronomical Union defines a planet as being in orbit around the sun, has enough gravity to pull its mass into a rounded shape (hydrostatic equilibrium), and has cleared its orbit of other, smaller objects. This last criterion is the point at which planets and dwarf planets differ. A planet's gravity either attracts or pushes away the smaller bodies that would otherwise intersect its orbit; the gravity of a dwarf planet is not sufficient to make this happen. [Meet the Dwarf Planets of the Solar System]

<span><span>Meet the dwarf planets of our solar system, Pluto Eris, Haumea, Makemake and Ceres.Credit: Karl Tate, SPACE.com contributor</span></span>

As of 2014, the IAU recognizes five named dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake. But those aren't the only ones. Other solar system bodies that are possibly dwarf planets include Sedna and Quaoar, small worlds far beyond Pluto's orbit, and 2012 VP113, an object that is thought to have one of the most distant orbits found beyond the known edge of our solar system. The object DeeDee could also be a dwarf planet, according to observations made in 2017. According to NASA, scientists think that there may be more than a hundred dwarf planets awaiting discovery.

However, the debate over the status of dwarf planets, particularly Pluto, remains a hot topic. The primary concern stems from the requirement for a planet to clear out its local neighborhood.

"In no other branch of science am I familiar with something that absurd," New Horizons principle investigator Alan Stern told Space.com in 2011. "A river is a river, independent of whether there are other rivers nearby. In science, we call things what they are based on their attributes, not what they're next to."

Is a dwarf planet a separate entity from a planet, or simply another classification? The question may not be settled in the near future.

You might be interested in
Many protists can move. what are some structures mentioned that can help protists move.
Ksivusya [100]

Answer:

cilli and flagella

Explanation:

I think there is one more but not sure hope this helped

(also if spelling is weird sorry I tried)

6 0
2 years ago
When scientists use cells to produce an identical creature it is known as (2 points)
poizon [28]
It is known as cloning! Hope this helped!
5 0
3 years ago
Heat moves through the atmosphere through the process of...
Elodia [21]
Answer is C.) Radiation
6 0
3 years ago
Read 2 more answers
Which are potential causes of dysthymia?
amm1812

Answer:

Damage to the heart muscle

6 0
3 years ago
How are the equation<br> of cellular respiration and photosynthesis the same
PSYCHO15rus [73]
Photosynthesis makes the glucose that is used in cellular respiration to make ATP. The glucose is then turned back into carbon dioxide, which is used in photosynthesis. While water is broken down to form oxygen during photosynthesis, in cellular respiration oxygen is combined with hydrogen to form water.
4 0
3 years ago
Other questions:
  • During blank pollen moves from the stamen to the pistil?
    14·1 answer
  • What is the role of the beaver in its ecosystem?
    11·1 answer
  • The genotype represents _____. a paired combination of genes either a dominant or recessive gene a given phenotype two alleles
    15·2 answers
  • Which of the following best characterizes a covalent bond?
    9·1 answer
  • The human genome is the basic genetic code, or blueprint, for the transfer of traits from parents to offspring through – . Study
    7·1 answer
  • Suppose you are studying a population of bacteria in a lab some of the bacteria are born with a mutation that provides them resi
    11·1 answer
  • What causes the ripples to form?
    6·1 answer
  • An element has an atomic mass number of 16 and an atomic number of 7. How many protons and neutrons?
    13·1 answer
  • What would the CONTROL GROUP be in an
    15·1 answer
  • Houses nasal conchae to enhance turbulence for filtering air
    9·1 answer
Add answer
Login
Not registered? Fast signup
Signup
Login Signup
Ask question!