Hello, and welcome to the Dwarf Planet Candidates page! This is your ultimate guide to the mysterious, icy, and distant worlds that might one day join the ranks of the officially recognized dwarf planets. While planets like Pluto, Eris, and Ceres get most of the attention, there are dozens of smaller, fascinating bodies lurking in the far reaches of our solar system, waiting to be explored.
On this page, you’ll discover major dwarf planet candidates such as Gonggong, Quaoar, Sedna, Orcus, Salacia, Varda, Ixion, Varuna, and many others—each with unique characteristics, intriguing orbits, and mysterious surfaces. These worlds can be icy, rocky, reddish, or neutral in color, and many have moons, fast rotations, or unusual shapes that make them standout objects in the Kuiper Belt, scattered disc, and even the inner edges of the Oort Cloud.
Each candidate has its own story to tell. Some, like Sedna, travel on extremely distant and elongated orbits that take thousands of years to circle the Sun. Others, like Varda and Varuna, are massive, icy objects with moons that reveal clues about their mass, density, and formation history. Studying these candidates gives scientists insight into how the solar system formed and evolved, and each discovery adds another piece to the cosmic puzzle.
As you explore this page, you’ll find detailed profiles, images, and facts about the most important dwarf planet candidates, from the largest and most studied to the smaller, mysterious worlds still under observation. Whether you’re fascinated by their distant orbits, icy surfaces, or complex histories, this page will help you understand why these candidates are some of the most intriguing objects beyond Neptune.
So dive in, explore the icy giants and the mysterious wanderers of the outer solar system, and see why dwarf planet candidates are exciting, dynamic, and full of secrets just waiting to be uncovered!