Dwarf Planets
Latest about Dwarf Planets

Dwarf Planet Ceres & the Case of the Vanishing Ice Volcanoes
By Nola Taylor Tillman published
The only mountain on Ceres may slowly disappear over a few hundred million years, spreading out like honey on a plate.

Planet or Dwarf Planet: All Worlds are Worth Investigating
By Tanya Hill published
Pluto's status as a "dwarf planet" is once again stirring debate. This comes as some planetary scientists are trying to have Pluto reclassified as a planet – a wish that's not likely to come true.

Dwarf Planet Ceres' Water-Ice Deposits Tied to Its Changing Tilt
By Elizabeth Howell published
The location of newfound water-ice deposits on Ceres are linked to wild swings in the dwarf planet's tilt over the eons, a new study suggests.

Briny Ice Oozes in Dwarf Planet Ceres' Ice Volcanoes
By Jesse Emspak published
On the dwarf planet Ceres, volcanoes rage — but instead of hot lava coming out of them as on Earth, they spew brine and ice.

Life's Building Blocks Found on Dwarf Planet Ceres
By Mike Wall published
NASA's Dawn spacecraft has spotted organic molecules — the carbon-containing building blocks of life — on Ceres for the first time, a new study reports.

Pluto's Heart: A Cosmic Valentine in Photos
By Hanneke Weitering published
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto in the July 2015, snapping several photos of the dwarf planet and its giant, heart-shaped geographical feature.

Lonely Ice Volcano On Ceres May Have Once Had Company
By Mike Wall published
The dwarf planet Ceres may once have harbored many ice volcanoes, all but one of which have flattened out and vanished into the dwarf planet's surface, a new study suggests.

Did Pluto's Weird Red Spots Result from Crash That Spawned Charon?
By Charles Q. Choi published
Mysterious dark reddish spots along Pluto's equator may be the aftermath of the giant impact that helped form the dwarf planet's largest moon Charon, a new study finds.
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