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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Solar System & Planets

Dwarf planet

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

nounCommon term

In astronomy & space, dwarf planet means: A round object that orbits the Sun but has not cleared other objects from its orbit. Pluto, Ceres and Eris are well-known examples.

In Turkish: cüce gezegen

How it is used

An official category created by the International Astronomical Union in 2006. It comes up often in discussions about whether Pluto should be called a planet.

Example sentences

  1. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

  2. Ceres is the only dwarf planet in the asteroid belt.

Common collocations

  • reclassified as a dwarf planet
  • icy dwarf planet
  • the dwarf planet Pluto
  • planetA large, round object that orbits a star, shines only by reflected light and is massive enough to have cleared other large bodies from its orbit.
  • Kuiper BeltA wide ring of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune, about 30 to 50 AU from the Sun. Pluto and other dwarf planets orbit there, and many short-period comets come from it.
  • asteroid beltThe region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where most of the solar system's asteroids orbit the Sun.
  • solar systemThe Sun and everything that orbits it: eight planets and their moons, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, dust and gas.

More terms: Solar System & Planets

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