Ceres is a dwarf planet, the only one located in the inner reaches of the solar system; the rest lie at the outer edges, in the Kuiper Belt.
The largest object in the asteroid belt, Ceres makes up nearly a third of its mass. Even so, it remains the smallest known dwarf planet, only 590 miles (950 km) across — roughly the size of Texas. A day on Ceres lasts a little over 9 Earth-hours, while it takes 4.6 Earth-years to travel around the sun. Ceres is a dwarf planet, the only one located in the inner reaches of the solar system; the rest lie at the outer edges, in the Kuiper Belt. While it is the smallest of the known dwarf planets, it is the largest object in the asteroid belt Ceres (/ˈsɪəriːz/ ; minor-planet designation: 1 Ceres) is the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Its diameter is approximately 945 kilometers (587 miles), making it the largest of the minor planets within the orbit of Neptune. Ceres follows an orbit between Mars and Jupiter, within the asteroid belt, with a period of 4.6 Earth years. The orbit is moderately inclined (i = 10.6° compared to 7° for Mercury and 17° for Pluto) and moderately eccentric (e = 0.08 compared to 0.09 for Mars). Ce·res. A dwarf planet that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres was formerly classified as an asteroid and is located in the asteroid belt. It has a diameter of 580 miles (934 kilometers). n. 1. Roman Mythology The goddess of agriculture. 2. The closest dwarf planet to the sun, with an orbit between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres was the first object in the asteroid belt to be discovered. Ceres was the largest known asteroid in the asteroid belt until 2006. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union formed a new class of solar system objects known as dwarf planets. By definition a dwarf planet is spherical and travels in an orbit around the Sun. Ceres fit the definition perfectly.  Ceres was the first asteroid discovered, by Giuseppe Piazzi at Palermo on 1 January 1801. It was originally considered a planet, but was reclassified as an asteroid in the 1850s when many other objects in similar orbits were discovered. Ceres follows an orbit between Mars and Jupiter, within the asteroid belt, with a period of 4.6 Earth years. The orbit is moderately inclined (i = 10.6° compared to 7° for Mercury and 17° for Pluto) and moderately eccentric (e = 0.08 compared to 0.09 for Mars). Ceres is the only object in the asteroid belt known to be unambiguously rounded by its own gravity. From Earth, the apparent magnitude of Ceres ranges from 6.7 to 9.3, and hence even at its brightest, it is too dim to be seen with the naked eye, except under extremely dark skies. Ceres follows an orbit between Mars and Jupiter, within the asteroid belt, with a period of 4.6 Earth years. The orbit is moderately inclined (i = 10.6° compared to 7° for Mercury and 17° for Pluto) and moderately eccentric (e = 0.08 compared to 0.09 for Mars). Ceres – photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19545. Ceres is the closest dwarf planet to the Sun and is located in the asteroid belt making it the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system. Ceres is the smallest of the bodies current classified as dwarf planets. Ceres was the first object considered to be an asteroid: Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi discovered and named Ceres in early 1801. The first visit to Ceres is due in 2015: NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has been making its way to Ceres from the asteroid Vesta since September 2012.
http://www.space.com/22891-ceres-dwarf-planet.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Ceres http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level2/ceres.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet) http://space-facts.com/ceres/
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