Three years ago today, Pluto, Ceres and Eris were conferred Dwarf Planet Status by the I.A.U.
Three (Eris, Haumea and Makemake) of the five (a 60% majority!) worlds that have been proclaimed as dwarf planets so far have been discovered at Palomar Observatory by Caltech's Mike Brown and his colleagues. So, as you might imagine, we have a have a special place in our hearts for dwarf planets here at Palomar. You can even buy a squeezable dwarf planet of your very own in the observatory's gift shop.
Back on the serious side, Dr. Brown argues that there should be a whole lot more than just five dwarf planets. Be sure to check out his page on dwarf planets, where he gives a full rundown on what a dwarf planet is (trust me, they are a lot bigger than what I have been showing here) and which other worlds should be added to the list.
Monday, August 24, 2009
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