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Dwarf planets

The gas giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The planet Pluto has a status of its own, and has recently been renamed a dwarf planet. [Pg.43]

In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union redefined the term planet and decided that the former ninth planet in the solar system should be referred to as a dwarf planet with the number 134340. The dwarf planet Pluto and its moon, Charon, are the brightest heavenly bodies in the Kuiper belt (Young, 2000). The ratio of the mass of the planet to that of its moon is 11 1, so the two can almost be considered as a double planet system. They are, however, quite disparate in their composition while Pluto consists of about 75% rocky material and 25% ice, Charon probably contains only water ice with a small amount of rocky material. The ice on Pluto is probably made up mainly of N2 ice with some CH4 ice and traces of NH3 ice. The fact that Pluto and Charon are quite similar in some respects may indicate that they have a common origin. Brown and Calvin (2000), as well as others, were able to obtain separate spectra of the dwarf planet and its moon, although the distance between the two is only about 19,000 kilometres. Crystalline water and ammonia ice were identified on Charon it seems likely that ammonia hydrates are present. [Pg.58]

There are actually eight planets in the solar system. (There used to be nine, but Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet along with Eris and three others.) To all ancient peoples, however, there were seven planets. The Sun and the Moon were included in the list but the Earth was not. This was because from Earth, the objects in the sky appear to circle Earth, and she seems to be standing still. [Pg.45]

Kuiper Belt a region in the outer Solar System beyond Neptune s orbit populated by small icy planetesimals or Kuiper Belt objects, and dwarf planets. Many short-period comets (possessing orbits of less than 200 years) are thrown into the Solar System from the Kuiper Belt. [Pg.355]

The last planet-like object to be explored is Pluto. Since its discovery in 1930 by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh (1906-97), Pluto has been considered one of the nine planets in the solar system. In August 2006, however, the International Astronomical Union established a new set of criteria for planets that Pluto did not meet. It is now considered a dwarf planet. In spite of its new designation, astronomers remain very interested in the chemical composition and physical characteristics of Pluto. Astronomers do have a fair amount of information about Pluto from ground-based observatories, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and the Infrared Astronomical Satellite. NASA s New Horizons space mission is expected to provide a great deal more detail about the strange and mysterious astronomical body. New Horizons was launched on January 19, 2006. It is expected to fly by Pluto and its satellite, Charon, in July 2015. [Pg.131]

Intensity is the key to Scorpio. Ruled by Pluto, the (dwarf) planet of transformation, you re a compelling personality — and a creature of extremes. Emotionally or otherwise, in fact or in fancy, you live on the edge. [Pg.81]

Before August 2006, Pluto was just another planet. Then the members of the International Astronomical Union pronounced it a dwarf planet. That demotion is irrelevant to astrologers. Astrologers believe that Pluto possesses the power of transformation, and nothing s going to change that. [Pg.128]

Regardless of your Sun sign, the ruler of your chart is Pluto. And don t let anyone tell you that Pluto is just a dwarf planet. Pluto rules destruction, transformation, and nuclear power. He doesn t have to be big. You should also know that two planets are credited with dominion over Scorpio Pluto, the ruler of modern times, and Mars, the traditional ruler. By sign, house, and aspect, both planets play leading roles in your chart. [Pg.140]

In 2006, astronomers reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet. This may make a difference to astrophysicists (though I can t see why it should). Astrologers essentially don t care. In our interpretation of the universe, Pluto is associated with power, regeneration, and the underworld of the psyche — a place where alchemy is the operative metaphor and size is deeply, truly meaningless. Plutonian transits, which last for two or three years, coincide with periods of profound change. [Pg.249]

The last four entries in the table are dwarf planets as defined by the International Astronomical Union. These are bodies in orbit around the sun that are massive enough to adopt a near-spherical shape as a result of their self-gravity, but are appreciably smaller than the major planets. Plutoids form a subset of the dwarf plan-... [Pg.2261]

In June 2008 the International Astronomical Union decided on the name plutoid for the category of transneptunian dwarf planets. Plutoids are celestial bodies in orbit around the sun at a semimajor axis greater than that of Neptune and sufficiently massive to adopt a near-spherical shape. See . [Pg.2265]

The International Astronomical Union passed resolutions in August 2006 that defined Pluto as a dwarf planet and recognized it as the prototype of a new category of TranS Neptunian Objects. See . [Pg.2425]

Ce Cerium After the dwarf planet Ceres, itself named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and motherly love... [Pg.11]

The dwarf planet (136472) Makemake (at an estimated 1500 km in diameter) is the largest cubewano so far known. [Pg.212]

International Astronomical Union 2006 General Assembly Result of the lAU resolution votes This press release carries the official definition of a planet dwarf planet... [Pg.257]

NASA s explanation of the lAU s definitions of planet and dwarf planet ... [Pg.257]

Eris A small solar system body made of rock and ice that is the largest dwarf planet so far known and the ninth largest body orbiting the sun. At an estimated 2400 km or more in diameter, it is at least 5% larger than Pluto and 27% more massive. Eris was discovered in January2005 by a team at Mount Palomar led by Michael E. Brown (1965- ). It is a scattered disc object, orbiting the sun once every 557.43 years at a mean distance of 10.12 X 10 km. The eccentricity of its orbit is about 0.44 and when at its farthest point... [Pg.297]

Pluto A trans-Neptunian object that is the second largest dwarf planet so far known and the tenth largest body in the solar system. It was discovered in 1930 by Clyde... [Pg.641]

Some smaller bodies orbiting the sun are classed as dwarf planets. Like planets, they have reached hydrostatic equilibrium but have not cleared their neighbourhoods of planetesimals. Five objects are presently classified as dwarf planets ... [Pg.767]

Erls - the large st dwarf planet, about 27% more massive than Pluto, found in the scattered disc. It is named after the Greek goddess of strife. [Pg.767]

Many bodies are candidates for dwarf planet status. They include the trans-Neptunian objects Orcus, Ixion, Huya, Varuna, Quaoar, and Sedna. [Pg.767]

Dwarf Planet Planet such as Pluto or Eris that is relatively small, is mainly composed of exotic ices, and orbits at the extreme hmit of the solar system. [Pg.1480]


See other pages where Dwarf planets is mentioned: [Pg.58]    [Pg.58]    [Pg.164]    [Pg.164]    [Pg.170]    [Pg.205]    [Pg.16]    [Pg.120]    [Pg.247]    [Pg.2262]    [Pg.2262]    [Pg.59]    [Pg.257]    [Pg.427]    [Pg.531]    [Pg.635]    [Pg.756]    [Pg.764]    [Pg.766]    [Pg.766]    [Pg.766]    [Pg.767]    [Pg.1078]   
See also in sourсe #XX -- [ Pg.164 , Pg.205 ]

See also in sourсe #XX -- [ Pg.97 ]




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Dwarves

Planets

The Dwarf Planet Pluto and Its Moon, Charon

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