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A number of bodies physically resemble dwarf planets. These include former dwarf planets, which may still have equilibrium shape or evidence of active geology; planetary-mass moons, which meet the physical but not the orbital definition for dwarf planet; and Charon in the Pluto–Charon system, which is arguably a binary dwarf planet.
This represented a choice between having a set of three distinct categories of body (planet, "dwarf planet" and SSSB) and the opening of an umbrella of 'planets' over the first two such categories. The Resolution proposed the latter option; it was defeated convincingly, with only 91 [46] members voting in its favour.
Missions to dwarf planets in the outer Solar System necessitate careful planning and execution, with spacecraft hibernation employed specifically to conserve energy for the prolonged interplanetary journeys. This allows the spacecraft to endure the extended travel time while maintaining essential functions for navigation and communication.
The term 'dwarf planet' arguably contains two words, a noun (planet) and an adjective (dwarf). Thus, the term could suggest that a dwarf planet is a type of planet, even though the IAU explicitly defines a dwarf planet as not so being. By this formulation therefore, 'dwarf planet' and 'minor planet' are best considered compound nouns.
The geophysical definition of a planet put forth by Stern and Levinson is an alternative to the IAU's definition of what is and is not a planet and is meant to stand as the geophysical definition, while the IAU definition, they argue, is intended more for astronomers. Nonetheless, some geologists favor the IAU's definition.
The definition of a planet has been a hot topic ever since a change kicked Pluto out of our planetary lineup in 2006. Now, a group of researchers is proposing a new definition yet again—one with ...
The geology of the dwarf planet, Ceres, was largely unknown until Dawn spacecraft explored it in early 2015. However, certain surface features such as "Piazzi", named after the dwarf planets' discoverer, had been resolved.[a] Ceres's oblateness is consistent with a differentiated body, a rocky core overlain with an icy mantle.
Additional planets in the outer reaches of the Solar System, such as a ninth planet beyond Neptune or especially a tenth beyond Pluto (between the 1930 discovery of Pluto and its reclassification from planet to dwarf planet in 2006), appear regularly. Many different names for this hypothetical outermost planet have been used, the most common ...