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Euler diagram showing the IAU Executive Committee conception of the types of bodies in the Solar System. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined in August 2006 that, in the Solar System, [1] a planet is a celestial body that: is in orbit around the Sun, has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape), and
A terrestrial planet with an arid surface consistency similar to Earth's deserts. Mars: Gas dwarf: A low-mass planet composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. GJ 1214 b: Gas giant: A massive planet composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Saturn, Jupiter, 70 Virginis b: Helium planet: A theoretical planet that may form via mass loss from a ...
As minor planet discoveries are confirmed, they are given a permanent number by the IAU's Minor Planet Center (MPC), and the discoverers can then submit names for them, following the IAU's naming conventions. The list below concerns those minor planets in the specified number-range that have received names, and explains the meanings of those names.
IHP-1 is a proposed spacecraft in the Shensuo program (Chinese: 神梭), designed to fly by Jupiter, the dwarf planet 50000 Quaoar, and its moon Weywot, before heading into interstellar space. [14] IHP-1 is set to launch with IHP-2 and the proposed IHP-3. [15] IHP-1 will use gravity assists from Earth in October 2025 and December 2027.
A packed form for permanent designations also exists (these are numbered minor planets, with or without a name). In this case, only the designation's number is used and converted to a 5-character string. The rest of the permanent designation is ignored. Minor planet numbers below 100,000 are simply zero-padded to 5 digits from the left side.
The IAU's names for exoplanets – and on most occasions their host stars – are chosen by the Executive Committee Working Group (ECWG) on Public Naming of Planets and Planetary Satellites, a group working parallel with the Working Group on Star Names (WGSN). [1] Proper names of stars chosen by the ECWG are explicitly recognised by the WGSN. [1]
The number of dwarf planets in the Solar System is unknown. Estimates have run as high as 200 in the Kuiper belt [1] and over 10,000 in the region beyond. [2] However, consideration of the surprisingly low densities of many large trans-Neptunian objects, as well as spectroscopic analysis of their surfaces, suggests that the number of dwarf planets may be much lower, perhaps only nine among ...
This is a list of observatory codes (IAU codes or MPC codes) published by the Minor Planet Center. [1] For a detailed description, see observations of small Solar System bodies . List