• Question: how many dwarf planets are there?

    Asked by bradwrf to Adam, Geoff, Rob, Sheila, Suzie on 17 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Suzie Sheehy

      Suzie Sheehy answered on 16 Mar 2011:

      I had a quick google search on this, as I didn’t know, and it seems that there are five ‘recognised’ dwarf planets—Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.
      But only Ceres and Pluto have been looked at in enough detail that we know they fit the definition – which is a pretty strict definition!

    • Photo: Robert Simpson

      Robert Simpson answered on 16 Mar 2011:

      There are five ‘official’ dwarf planets (Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake), but many more that will no doubt be entered into the category in the next few years.

    • Photo: Adam Tuff

      Adam Tuff answered on 16 Mar 2011:

      In our solar system, there are five currently recognised Dwarf planets – Pluto, Haumea, Makemake and Eris all orbit very far out in our solar system. The odd one out in Ceres – this dwarf planet lives in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter!

    • Photo: Sheila Kanani

      Sheila Kanani answered on 17 Mar 2011:

      Hey Brad,

      I think that currently there are 5 in our Solar System:

      * Ceres
      * Pluto
      * Eris
      * Makemake
      * Haumea.

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