Introduction Did you know that an asteroid can be a dwarf planet as well? Ceres (Seer-ees) is a well-known asteroid and dwarf planet, in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres is very important. It is important because it was the first asteroid that a mission was sent to. Additionally, Ceres has many unique characteristics. Finally, Ceres was discovered in 1801, making it the oldest known dwarf planet. Asteroid Types & Facts Ceres is an extraordinarily important asteroid. Asteroids are made up of metal and rock, and they are usually found in the asteroid belt, located between the planets of Mars and Jupiter. It is probably one of the most well-known asteroids, considering it was the first asteroid to be explored. The mission, Dawn, was launched in 2007, and reached Ceres in March 2015. Dawn is currently orbiting Ceres. There are three main types of asteroids: S-type asteroids, M-type asteroids, and C-type asteroids. S-type asteroids are usually bright, and very stony. These asteroids are mainly found in the inner parts of the main asteroid belt. Scientists believe that the surfaces of S-type Artist’s concept of an asteroid. asteroids consist of silicate rock along https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=66 with a little bit of iron. M-type 69 asteroids are metallic asteroids. These are also usually bright, like S-type asteroids. Scientists believe that the surfaces of M-type asteroids consist of a lot of iron. M-type asteroids are found in the middle of the main belt. C-type asteroids are usually medium or large and dull gray. Ceres is a C-type asteroid. These make up the majority of all known asteroids, as much as 75 percent. They are located on the outskirts of the main belt. Researchers have learned that “They are very dark, containing a considerable amount of carbon and complex organic compounds.” (britannicaschool.com) This revealing statement highlights just how much C-type asteroids differ from others.
Characteristics of Ceres Ceres has many unique characteristics that make it an interesting astronomical body. It is both the smallest dwarf planet and largest known asteroid in our solar system. For example, according to the article Ceres, Ceres is nearly twice as big as the next largest asteroids, Pallas and Vesta. It is considerably smaller than the other dwarf planets and planets of our solar system. NASA states that, however, "Ceres comprises 25 percent of the asteroid belt's total mass." (solarsystem.nasa.gov) This shocking fact reveals that the size of Ceres is quite irregular: it is large in one case and small in another. Furthermore, it shows that Ceres is a strange astronomical body. The radius of Ceres is about 296 miles, or 1/13 the radius of Earth. A day on Ceres lasts 9.1 hours, Image of Ceres, taken by Dawn spacecraft. clearly shorter than a day https://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/Ceres_two_bright_spots.asp on our planet. A year on
Ceres lasts 1,682 days, or 4.6 Earth years. A year on Ceres lasts this long because a year on a planet is how long it takes to go around the Sun once. Ceres is very far away from the Sun, about 257 million miles! Furthermore, it is about 2.5 times farther from the Sun than our planet is. The surface of Ceres is dark, because it only reflects 10 percent of the light that hits it. Scientists believe that Ceres's core is most likely made of thick ice. However, it probably has a thin crust.
History of Ceres Ceres has a long history, longer than any other dwarf planet or asteroid. It was created with the rest of the Solar System, about 4.5 billion years ago. Gravity was pulling spinning dust and gas in to create this dwarf planet/asteroid. Then, about 4 billion years ago, Ceres settled into the asteroid belt. It was discovered on January 1st, 1801 by Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi. In the text, 7 Strange Facts About Dwarf Planet Ceres, by Elizabeth Howell, the author states, "At first Ceres was called a planet, but as more asteroid belt members were discovered, Ceres was demoted to asteroid." (space.com). This quote is important because it shows how astronomers have learned more throughout time and gotten better at identifying different objects in the sky. By the mid- 1800's, the category of asteroids had been created. When the International Astronomical Union, or IAU, created the Image of 2006 IAU meeting about dwarf planets. category of dwarf planets in 2006, Ceres https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAU_definition_of_planet was one of the first objects to be given the title of dwarf planet, along with Pluto and Eris. Later, the dwarf planets Haumea and Makemake were included.
Conclusion In conclusion, Ceres is a fascinating dwarf planet and asteroid. It has unique characteristics, an extensive history, and it is an asteroid. Ceres is an incredibly interesting object in the sky, that intrigued astronomers in 1801, and continues to intrigue many people to this very day. Overall, Ceres is one of the most beautiful astronomical bodies in our entire Solar System.