Ceres the Dwarf Planet

Ceres is the closest dwarf planet to the Sun. It is located in the asteroid belt, making it the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system. Ceres is the smallest of the bodies current classified as dwarf planets.

Ceres Dwarf Planet Profile

Mass: 943,000,000,000 billion kg (very tiny--even smaller than a continent on Earth)

Moons: none

Orbit Distance: 413,700,000 km

Orbit Period: 4.60 Earth years

Surface Temperature: -105°C (This is incredibly cold--much colder than anywhere on Earth!)

Discovery Date: January 1st, 1801

Discovered By: Giuseppe Piazzi

Size Of Ceres Compared To The Earth

Facts About The Dwarf Planet Ceres

Ceres was the first object considered to be an asteroid:

Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi discovered and named Ceres in early 1801. Though he classified it as a planet, Ceres is now classified as a dwarf planet which accounts for nearly 1/3 of the asteroid belt’s mass.

The first visit to Ceres is due in 2015:

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is making its way to Ceres from the asteroid Vesta since September 2012. There is high interest in this mission since Ceres is one possible destination for human colonisation given its abundance of ice, water, and minerals.

Links:

http://www.space.com/22891-ceres-dwarf-planet.html

Photos of Ceres

Videos: