Dwarf planet
Ceres
The asteroid belt dwarf
Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system. Discovered in 1801, it was first called a planet, then an asteroid, and finally a dwarf planet in 2006. Ceres contains about a quarter of the asteroid belt's total mass. NASA's Dawn spacecraft found bright salt deposits and evidence of briny water beneath its surface, making Ceres a surprising candidate in the search for habitable environments.
Quick facts
- Distance from Sun
- 413 million km (2.8 AU)
- Diameter
- 940 km
- Day length
- 9 hours
- Year length
- 4.6 Earth years
- Moons
- 0
- Avg. temperature
- -105 C
What's it like there?
Ceres is a dim, gray, crater-pocked world where the Sun appears much smaller than from Earth. The famous bright spots in Occator Crater are salts left behind by briny water that seeped up from below and evaporated. There may still be pockets of salty liquid underground. With gravity under 3% of Earth's, you could launch yourself high off the surface with a jump, though you would still come back down.
Fun facts
Ceres was the first asteroid ever discovered (1801).
It contains about 25% of the asteroid belt's total mass.
The bright spots in Occator Crater are salt deposits from ancient brine.
Ceres may hold more fresh water (as ice) than Earth.
A day on Ceres lasts just 9 hours.
Exploration history
Dawn 2015-18
First spacecraft to orbit a dwarf planet; mapped Ceres in detail.
Ceres vs Earth
| Property | Earth | Ceres |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 12,742 km | 940 km |
| Year length | 365 days | 4.6 years |
| Gravity | 1 g | 0.03 g |
| Average temperature | 15 C | -105 C |
Scientific Sources & Provenance
All data is verified against official space agency records (NASA, ESA, and IAU).
- NASA Science / Mission Datahttps://science.nasa.gov/dwarf-planets/ceres/
- NASA Science / Mission Datahttps://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/dawn/overview/