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Dwarf planets were thus conceived of as a category of planet. In 2006, however, the concept was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as a category of sub-planetary objects, part of a three-way recategorization of bodies orbiting the Sun: planets, dwarf planets, and small Solar System bodies. [2]
The concept of human exploration of dwarf planets has intrigued scientists since Pluto's discovery in 1930. Despite the vast distances and significant challenges, advancements in space technology could make such endeavors possible. Colonizing dwarf planets offers potential economic benefits due to the presence of rare and valuable ores. [23]
The habitable zone around yellow dwarfs varies according to their size and luminosity, although the inner boundary is usually at 0.84 AU and the outer one at 1.67 in a G2V class dwarf like the Sun. [19] For a G5V class star with a radius of 0.95 R☉—smaller than the Sun—the habitable zone would correspond to the region located between 0.8 ...
The violent flaring period of a red dwarf's life cycle is estimated to last for only about the first 1.2 billion years of its existence. If a planet forms far away from a red dwarf so as to avoid atmospheric erosion, and then migrates into the star's habitable zone after this turbulent initial period, it is possible for life to develop. [57]
A substellar object may be a companion of a star, [9] such as an exoplanet or brown dwarf that is orbiting a star. [10] Objects as low as 8–23 Jupiter masses have been called substellar companions. [11] Objects orbiting a star are often called planets below 13 Jupiter masses and brown dwarves above that. [12]
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.
Size comparison of the Sun, all the planets of the Solar System and some larger stars. The Sun is 1.4 million kilometers (4.643 light-seconds ) wide, about 109 times wider than Earth, or four times the Lunar distance , and contains 99.86% of all Solar System mass .
The Sun, planets, moons and dwarf planets (true color, size to scale, distances not to scale) The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Solar System: Solar System – gravitationally bound system comprising the Sun and the objects that orbit it, either directly or indirectly. Of those objects that orbit the ...