dwarf planet

[ dwawrf plan-it ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. a spherical celestial body revolving about the sun, similar to a planet but not large enough to gravitationally clear its orbital region of most or all other celestial bodies. In 2006, the planet Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.

dwarf planet

noun

1. any celestial body within the solar system that is larger than a satellite but smaller than a planet, and that orbits the sun

dwarf planet

1. A celestial body that orbits the Sun and is massive enough to assume a nearly spherical shape, but that does not clear other bodies from the neighborhood around its orbit and is not a satellite of a planet. Dwarf planets include Ceres, Pluto, and Eris. This category was created by the International Astronomical Union in 2006.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dwarf planet¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Abrams picked up the torch for the seventh, eighth and ninth movies, he tasked their rebels with blowing up one the size of a dwarf planet.

From Salon

After our moon and Pluto, the University of Bern team plans to explore similar scenarios for other outer Solar System bodies such as the Pluto-like dwarf planet Haumea.

From Science Daily

Ever since the cameras of NASA's New Horizons mission discovered a large heart-shaped structure on the surface of the dwarf planet Pluto in 2015, this "heart" has puzzled scientists because of its unique shape, geological composition, and elevation.

From Science Daily

However, this poses a problem: a giant depression like Sputnik Planitia is expected to slowly move towards the pole of the dwarf planet over time due to the laws of physics, since it has a mass deficit.

From Science Daily

Other recent work seems to corroborate the date: the impact history captured in common meteorites, the formation history of the icy dwarf planet Haumea, and the earliest known mineral crystals found in Moon rocks retrieved by Apollo astronauts.

From Science Magazine