Exploring Ceres: The Largest Asteroid in the Solar System and Its Dwarf Planet Status

WONGAPAK.SUARAMERDEKA.COM – In fact, Ceres is not a satellite of a planet, but a celestial group called the largest asteroid in the Asteroid Belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

On the other hand, Ceres is also considered a “dwarf planet” along with Pluto and several other objects in the solar system.

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) established an official definition of what constitutes a planet in the Solar System, meaning that Ceres and Pluto lose their status as planets and clustered like dwarf planets.

Ceres, a dwarf planet located in the Asteroid Belt, has attracted the attention of scientists with its unique features in the solar system.

Read also: History of the Discovery of Pluto up to the IAU Decision, Removing Pluto’s Status as a Planet in the Solar System

The following are the four main features that make Ceres an interesting research object, reported by Wongapak.puasmerdeka.com from the grade 7 science book for MTs SMP Merdeka Curriculum published by the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud).

1. Impressive size

With a diameter of about 940 kilometers, Ceres is the largest object in the Asteroid Belt. The size comparison with other asteroids is quite remarkable.

Its large size is one of the main reasons why Ceres was given dwarf planet status by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Even though it is in the Asteroid Belt, Ceres has enough mass to form a spherical object by its own gravity.

Read also: Get to know Io, the hottest volcanic satellite around Jupiter in the solar system

2. Location and Context of the Supply System

Located between Mars and Jupiter, the Asteroid Belt is an area in the solar system full of asteroids. Among this population, Ceres holds the status of the largest object.

This makes it an interesting topic to study in the context of the evolution and formation of the solar system.