Planet
Ceres
Dwarf planet
Dwarf planet in the asteroid belt
Photo: Justin Cowart · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Ceres is a dwarf planet in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was the first object identified in the asteroid belt, discovered on 1 January 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi at Palermo Astronomical Observatory in Sicily, and announced as a new planet. Ceres was later classified as an asteroid, and then more recently as the only confirmed dwarf planet within the asteroid belt, and the largest without a moon. It is also the only recognized dwarf planet in the solar system whose orbit lies within that of Neptune. In the minor planet numbering system, its designation is 1 Ceres or (1) Ceres.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Key facts
Distance
Asteroid belt
Orbital period
4.6 years
Mass
9.39 × 10^20 kg
Discovered
1801 · Giuseppe Piazzi
