Ceres
Overview
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History
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Status
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What Is Known
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Exploration
The following is a list of the missions that have finished, are currently in operation, or are planned to be lanuched to explore asteroids. A brief summary is displayed, but you can click on the name of the mission to be taken to a page detailing the mission.
Dawn? ~ ? ~ ...
Name Mythology
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Data
The following table lists data for Pluto and the other dwarf planets for comparison purposes. Data is compiled from NASA's planetary factsheet for Pluto, and from primary sources for the other dwarf planets; see the individual pages on the dwarf planets for references.
| Ceres | Pluto | Haumea | Makemake | Eris | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perihelion (109 km) | 0.381 | 4.436 | 5.260 | 5.761 | 5.65 |
| Semi-Major Axis (106 km) | 0.415 | 5.906 | 6.484 | 6.850 | 10.12 |
| Aphelion (106 km) | 0.449 | 7.376 | 7.708 | 7.940 | 14.60 |
| Average Orbital Velocity (km/s) | 10.587° | 17.16° | 4.484 | 4.419 | 3.436 |
| Orbital Inclination (from Earth's Orbit) | 10.587° | 17.16° | 28.19° | 28.96° | 44.187° |
| Orbital Eccentricity | 0.080 | 0.2488 | 0.18874 | 0.159 | 0.44177 |
| Equatorial Radius (km) | 975 | 1195 | ~996 x 1518 x 1960 | ~2000 | 1300+200−100 |
| Polar Radius (km) | 909 | 1195 | ~2000 | 1300+200−100 | |
| Mass (1021 kg) | 0.95 | 12.5 | 4.2±0.1 | ~40 | 16.7±0.2 |
| Density (water=1 g/cm3) | 2.08 | 1.75 | 2.6-3.3 | ~2 | 2.3±0.3 |
| Sidereal Rotation Period (hours) | 9.074 | 153.2820 | 3.915 | ? | ~25.9 |
| Sidereal Orbital Period (days) | 1679.819 | 90,588 | 104,234 | 113,183 | 203,600 |
| Apparent Magnitude | +6.7 to +9.3 | +15.1 | +16.7 | +17.3 | +18.7 |
| Absolute Magnitude | +3.36±0.02 | -0.7 | -0.48 | +0.17 | -1.15 |
| Number of Moons | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Discoverer | G. Piazzi | C. Tombaugh | M.E. Brown, C.A. Trujillo, & D.L. Rabinowitz | M.E. Brown, C.A. Trujillo, & D.L. Rabinowitz | M.E. Brown, C.A. Trujillo, & D.L. Rabinowitz |
| Discovery Date | Jan. 1, 1801 | Feb. 18, 1930 | Dec. 28, 2004 | Mar. 31, 2005 | Oct. 21, 2003 |