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The definition of "planet" doesn't specifically list a minimum size. The term is instead defined dynamically: in order to be considered a planet, the body must have "cleared the neighborhood of its orbit". Roughly speaking, this means anything approximately the same distance from the Sun as the potential planet must be either much, much smaller or a satellite (or both) of the planet.
For example: There are several thousand known asteroids that come near or cross Earth's orbit. However, they have a much lower mass than the Earth; even if you lumped them all together into a single body, they'd still have a much lower mass than the Earth. So Earth has "cleared its neighborhood" and is a planet.
Ceres is the largest known asteroid; large enough for its own mass to have pulled it into an approximately spherical shape (this is another criterion that planets have to meet). It also has a lot of asteroids that are near or cross its orbit, and it's the largest of them ... but it's not nearly as dominant as Earth is; Ceres only represents a bit over a third of the total mass of the asteroid belt (the next largest asteroid is about a third of Ceres' mass). Ceres therefore has not cleared its neighborhood and is not a planet (it's a dwarf planet, because it does have that approximately spherical shape, which is technically called "hydrostatic equilibrium").
How about Pluto? It turns out that Pluto's orbit crosses that of Neptune (not literally; there's no possibility they could collide). So it's nowhere near even being the largest thing in its neighborhood, and therefore not a planet (despite being considerably larger than Ceres).
The smallest object in the Solar System that's definitely a planet is Mercury, which has a radius of almost 2500 km. The largest (known) object in the solar system that's definitely not a planet (and also not a moon) is either Eris or Pluto; we're not quite sure which because they're both very close to 1160 km radius. So somewhere between the two might be a rough answer. (It turns out that it's easier to clear your orbit if your orbit is closer to the Sun; a Mercury-sized body out beyond Neptune probably wouldn't make the cut.)
What else can I help you with?
Is dwarf planet Ceres a gas or rocky planet?
No. Ceres, which used to be considered an asteroid, was recategorized as a "dwarf planet" in 2006, about the same time that Pluto was. Ceres is a small rocky body, the biggest in the asteroid belt.
Why is Pluto no longer a planet?
because Pluto is like an asteroid it is so tiny
What is the largest asteroid in the Asteroid Belt?
The largest body in the asteroid belt is Ceres, with a diameter of about 950 km. Although it has long been considered to be an asteroid, Ceres was classified as a "dwarf planet" on August 24, 2006. (The other dwarf planets are Pluto, Makemake, Haumea, and Eris.) The issue of whether Ceres remains an asteroid was not addressed at that time.
How big or small can an asteroid be?
No. An asteroid can be anything from 10 metres to 487km as in the case of Ceres the largest asteroid.
What do you call another name for a dwarf?
Something that is dwarfed is a considerable amount smaller than it averagely should be. An antonym for dwarf would be giant.
Why are dwarf planets small?
Dwarf planets are not a special type of planet. A small planet is later classified a dwarf planet. The only characteristic that makes it a dwarf planet is the size. Your question should be why are some planets small?
Why is the dwarf planet called the dwarf planet?
dwarf planets are called dwarf planets because they are too small to be classified as an actual planet. Pluto is a dwarf planet as well as Xena and Ceres. Which you probably do not know of because we do not study them as main planets in our solar system.
Which planet is now called a dwarf planet?
In 1853 Vesta, Juno, Ceres and Pallas were demoted from planets to minor planets, and in 2006 Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet.
If Pluto is a dwarf planet is it still considered a planet?
No. It is considered as a dwarf planet If you order a small Pepsi, you still get Pepsi, right? Pluto is a planet. It is a special class of planet; it is a dwarf planet. What it is not is a major planet.
What type of planet is dwarf planet?
dwarf is a dwarf planet because it is to small to be in the solar system.,
What dwarf planet was included as a full fledged planet of solar system last 2005?
Pluto was classified as a dwarf planet last 2005. Pluto was too small to be considered as a planet anymore. Its orbit was also not like any of what we call our planets. There are three dwarf planets in our solar system.
Is Pluto even a planet?
somewhat. scientists ruled it out of the main nine planets. so now there are 8. but they classified it as a DWARF planet. meaning a small planet. No, recently scientists have officically decided that Pluto is no longer a planet, as it hardly has it's own core. It's too small to be a planet, thus is called the Dwarf Planet.
Why is Pluto a planet?
Pluto use to be a planet but not anymore.Scientists have figured out that Pluto ism uch to small to be a planet.So now we just call Pluto a dwarf planet.A dwarf planet is kind of like a planet.It is a VERY small sized planet.A regular planet is a normal sized or a big sized planet.If the planet is too small then it is considered as a dwarf planet.
Why is Pluto called a dwarf planet andnot a real planet?
Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet because it has not cleared its orbit of other debris, unlike the eight classical planets that have. Also, its size and characteristics are more similar to other objects in the Kuiper Belt rather than the traditional planets in our solar system.
What is the diameter in miles of dwarf planet Quaoar?
Its mean diameter in miles is around 525 miles (844km). Astronomers are unsure of its shape as it is so small and far away, so it remains a dwarf planet candidate. If it turns out that it is approximately spherical in shape, then it is likely to be classified as an official dwarf planet.
What is the different between a planet and a dwarf planet?
the planet is one of the gases planet.. and the dwarf planets are small planets..
Why was Pluto reclassified as a dwarf planet?
Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union because its small size and eccentric orbit do not meet the criteria to be considered a full planet in our solar system. Its classification was revised to better reflect its characteristics and align with new definitions of what constitutes a planet.
