Definition of Dwarf Planet

In the Solar system we find different planets, but not all of them have the same characteristics, so the astronomers usually present the following division: the Sun, the Earth, eight planets and the so-called planets in years.

Characteristics of a dwarf planet

For astronomers, a dwarf planet is any celestial body that is orbiting the Sun. This first circumstance is not enough, since a planet is considered dwarf if it also has enough mass for its gravity to acquire an almost spherical shape. This means that if a planet has an irregular shape it cannot be considered a dwarf planet.

Other property singular of the dwarf planets is that they should only be orbiting around one star. On the other hand, it will be understood that a planet is dwarf if it has not cleared the neighborhood of its orbit, which means that the planet revolves around the Sun together with other celestial bodies that perform the same orbit. This last property is relevant and due to it the planet Pluto ceased to have its name as a planet and astronomers began to classify it as a dwarf planet since 2006.

Dwarf planets of the solar system

In astronomy the planet Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet because it has four satellites, the largest being Charon.

Ceres is another of the dwarf planets and is located in the so-called asteroid belt, which is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Other dwarf planets are Makemake and Haumea. All of them have the properties that serve to define the dwarf planets due to their mass, their diameter, to its volume or its density.

The naming of the planets

We speak of dwarf planets by the translation of the English minor planet, which corresponds to a astronomical body called minor planet center which, in turn, belongs to the Astronomical Union International. What rule Generally, this entity uses the accidents planetariums like criterion fundamental for its definitive name.

In the history of the astronomy the basic criterion for the nomenclature of the planets is based on mythology, in such a way that Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, Earth or Sky are terms that come from the mythological accounts of the civilization Greek and Roman. In this way, the flat regions of the planets are named after mythological heroines and other planetary regions are known by the names of the titans or the giants.

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