Dwarf planets

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Dwarf planets

name mean distance from Sun (AU) orbital period (years) diameter (km) year of discovery notable features

Official dwarf planets*

Ceres    2.77        4.61 980 × 910 1801 largest known asteroid; first asteroid discovered

Pluto   39.5     247.69 2,344 1930 has three moons

Haumea   43.19     283.84 980 × 750 × 500 2003 rotates every 3.9 hours; has elongated shape

Makemake   45.48     306.17 1,500 2005 reddish in colour

Eris   67.84     558.77 2,600 2003 surface coated with methane ice

Notable candidate dwarf planets

Orcus   39.22     245.62 946 2004 named after Roman god of the underworld

2003 AZ84   39.36     246.94 686 2003 has one moon

Ixion   39.70     250.18 650 2001 named after Greek mythological king sentenced to roll a wheel through the underworld

90568 (2004 GV9)   42.10     273.13 677 2004 discovered by U.S. robotic telescopes (telescope) searching for near-Earth asteroids

55636 (2002 TX300)   43.28     284.69 <800 2002 possible fragment formed from collision with Haumea

Quaoar   43.61     287.97 844 2002 named after the creator god of the Tongva Indians

55565 (2002 AW197)   47.12     323.49 735 2002 discovered by U.S. astronomers at Palomar Observatory

Sedna 488.98 10,812.82 <1,600 2003 has extremely eccentric orbit that takes it as far as 975 AU from the Sun

*As defined by the International Astronomical Union (information processing).

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