The Universe (Lonely Planet) by Lonely Planet

The Universe (Lonely Planet) by Lonely Planet

Author:Lonely Planet [Planet, Lonely]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781788687058
Publisher: Lonely Planet Global Limited
Published: 2019-10-01T00:00:00+00:00


Dwarf planets, from left: Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake and Ceres.

© MELETIOS VERRAS/SHUTTERSTOCK

Eris

Few newly discovered objects cause astronomers to reclassify existing ones. At its discovery, Eris became the first of two dwarf planets, redefining how we think about the objects in our solar system.

The discovery of Eris in the Kuiper Belt introduced an entirely new category of dwarf planets to astronomers.

© LARICH/SHUTTERSTOCK

If you’re looking for something to blame for Pluto’s demotion to dwarf planet status, look to Eris. Discovered in 2003, astronomers measured Eris to have about 27% more mass and a larger radius than Pluto. Confronted with this knowledge, astronomers had a choice: announce the tenth planet in the solar system, or consider the unique characteristics of Pluto and Eris’ and reclassify both objects something new. Thus the definition of dwarf planets was born.

Eris is on average more than three times farther from the Sun than Pluto. It is so cold out there that the dwarf planet’s atmosphere has frozen onto the surface as a frosty glaze. The coating gleams brightly, reflecting as much sunlight as freshly fallen snow. The path Eris takes around the Sun is shaped like an oval rather than a circle, similar to Pluto. In about 275 years, Eris will move close enough to the Sun to thaw partially. Its icy veneer will melt away revealing a rocky, speckled landscape similar to Pluto’s.

RADIUS

1163 km (723 mi)

MASS

1.66 × 1022 kg, or 0.0028 x Earth

COMPOSITION

Predominantly nitrogen and methane ice over a rocky surface

DISCOVERED

2003

ORBITAL PERIOD

558 years



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