Dwarf planets - National Air and Space Museum
Jun 9, 2020 · A dwarf planet is a planet that orbits the sun, has enough mass for its gravity to form it into a nearly round shape, has not cleared other large objects from the region it crosses during its orbit, …
Pluto - National Air and Space Museum
A Dwarf Planet The IAU Prague General Assembly also approved a new term, dwarf planet. A “dwarf planet” is a celestial body that: (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has enough mass for its gravity to …
Our Solar System - National Air and Space Museum
Come discover our planetary neighborhood—as if from interstellar space, moving in toward our Sun. This “outside-in” perspective is how we may someday explore other solar systems. What is a Planet? …
Dwarf Planets - National Air and Space Museum
Dwarf Planet: Ceres These images of dwarf planet Ceres, processed to enhance clarity, were taken on Feb. 19, 2015, from a distance of about 29,000 miles (46,000 kilometers), by NASA's Dawn spacecraft.
What Makes a Moon a Moon? | National Air and Space Museum
Nov 14, 2024 · What Makes a Moon a Moon? A moon is a planetary body that goes around another planetary body. Usually, this is one or more moons going around a planet, but it doesn’t have to be a …
Solar System - National Air and Space Museum
Aug 7, 2025 · The Solar System, located in the Milky Way Galaxy, is our celestial neighborhood. Our Solar System consists of 8 planets, several dwarf planets, dozens of moons, and millions of …
How Did We Discover the Planets? - National Air and Space Museum
Aug 1, 2023 · Today we define Pluto as a dwarf planet rather than a planet like Earth or Jupiter. What of the Moon? Do other planets have moons like Earth does? In 1900, the planets in our solar system …
Can Two Planets Orbit Each Other? - National Air and Space Museum
Sep 29, 2025 · Planets orbit the Sun, and moons orbit planets and other small planetary bodies, but can two planets orbit each other? The short answer to this question is yes, two planets could orbit each …
Small solar system bodies - National Air and Space Museum
May 22, 2024 · Small solar system bodies—along with the Sun, planets, and dwarf planets—help make up our Solar System. Small solar system bodies include things like comets, asteroids, moons, and …
Vulcan? But that’s not logical… - National Air and Space Museum
Feb 26, 2013 · This image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, shows five moons orbiting the distant, icy dwarf planet Pluto. As SETI contemplated what names to propose for these two newly …