Ceres is a dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt of our solar system between Mars and Jupiter. It’s the only one found so close to Earth! Ceres the dwarf planet is the smallest of its kind at just 950 km in diameter.
Facts About Ceres
- Ceres is the first object considered to be an asteroid.
- The first visit to Ceres was on March 6, 2015, by Dawn spacecraft
- Ceres has a rare white spot that scientists are still trying to figure out.
- Every second, Ceres loses steam at an intense rate of 6kg per second.
- One-third of the asteroid belt is made up of Ceres.
- In the first 50 years of its discovery, Ceres was often referred to as a planet.
- Ceres is a dwarf planet that does not have any moons.
- The Goddess of agriculture, Ceres was named for the Roman God.
- The star Ceres is too dim to be seen with the naked eye.
- Every 4.6 years, Ceres completes its orbit.
Ceres Size Compared to the Moon and Earth
Ask An Astronomer About Ceres
Do you have a question about Ceres? We answer many questions that people ask Astronomers.
How Long Does It Take Ceres to Orbit the Sun
The orbit of Ceres around the sun takes 1,682 Earth days or 4.6 years to complete.
How Far From the Sun Does Ceres Orbit
Ceres is 2.8 astronomical units away from the sun, and that’s not to mention it has an average distance of 257 million miles (413 million kilometers).
How Long Does It Take For Ceres To Rotate
Ceres’ orbit makes it spin every 9 hours one of the shortest day lengths of any planet in our solar system.
How Long Is a Day on Ceres
A day on Ceres lasts a little over 9 Earth-hours, but it takes 4.6 earth years to travel around the sun!
How Old Is Ceres
Ceres is 4.56 billion years old, and it was formed as a protoplanet between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.
How Did Ceres Get Its Name
Ceres got its name after Ceres, the goddess of grain crops and harvests.
Who Discovered Ceres
The Piazzi family has a long history of discovering asteroids and comets. In 1801, their patriarch built the first telescope in Italy to find Ceres.
How Many Spacecrafts Have Visited Ceres
The Dawn spacecraft launches. It is the first mission to orbit a dwarf planet, Ceres; following its arrival in 2015.
Does Ceres Have Rings
Ceres has no rings.
Does Ceres Have Moons
The lack of a magnetosphere means that this dwarf planet is not only the smallest object in our solar system but also one without any natural moons.
How Much Gravity Is on Ceres
It might seem strange to think that Ceres has gravity, but it does! The surface gravity of the asteroid is estimated at only 0.27 meters per second squared which is 27% less than Earth’s gravitational pull on you when you are standing upright.
Is There Water On Ceres
Scientists have found that water is seeping onto the surface of Ceres, which appears to be a sign of an ancient underground ocean beneath it. The liquid from this reservoir could stretch out for hundreds and even thousands of miles wide!
Does Ceres Have Craters
For a few months in 2018, as NASA’s Dawn spacecraft used up its last drops of fuel, it gave scientists an incredibly detailed look at one of the strangest places in space: Occator Crater. That’s the name of a massive impact site on Ceres that is tucked away deep into the asteroid belt and has been entirely misunderstood for decades!
How Many Craters Does Ceres Have?
As it turns out, Ceres has only 16 craters larger than 60 miles and none that are more than 280 kilometers across. One idea about the origins of this dwarf planet is that its formed farther away in the solar system- perhaps around Neptune?
Are There Volcanoes on Ceres?
The dwarf planet Ceres has had as many as 22 ice volcanoes, new research suggests. Images from NASA’s Dawn mission have revealed there is currently just a single volcano, an icy peak known as Ahuna Mons.
How Big Is Ceres
293.91 mi
What Is the Diameter of Ceres
587.82 mi
What Is Ceres Made of
Ceres has a core and an icy mantle, as well as water that could make up 25% of its volume. If this is the case, then Ceres may have more water than Earth does! What’s even cooler about it? It also contains large salt deposits on its crusty surface.
What Is Ceres Atmosphere Made of
Ceres have a very thin atmosphere, and it’s possible that there may be ice volcanoes or large pockets of water vapor near the surface.
What Is The Temperature on Ceres
Ceres is a celestial body with an unusual temperature range. The daytime temperatures are usually about minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the nighttime temps dip to around negative 225 F.
What Color Is Ceres The Planet
The color of Ceres is generally gray, but with some bluish spots.
Can We Live on Ceres
Scientists have found that a “Megasatellite” orbiting Ceres would make the perfect home for humans. Given all of the logistics involved, humanity will likely never see its way outside our Solar System to colonize exoplanets.
How Much Would You Weigh On Ceres
The mass of Ceres is 9.1 x 1020 kg, and its density is 2.2 grams per cubic cm (about two-thirds that of the Moon).
How Far Is Ceres From Earth
The distance of Dwarf Planet 1 Ceres from Earth is currently 3.880471 Astronomical Units or about 580,510,169 kilometers
How Big Is Ceres Compared to Earth
Ceres is just 296 miles (476 km) across. In comparison, if Earth was the size of a nickel, Ceres would measure about as big as a poppy seed.
How Long Does It Take to Get to Ceres
The distance between Dwarf Planet 1 Ceres and Earth is currently 580,510,169 kilometers. Light takes 32 minutes to travel from the dwarf planet to us!
How Big Is Ceres Compared to the Moon
Ceres is the smallest planet in our solar system and has a radius of 476 kilometers. It’s about 1/13th as large as Earth or 27% that of the moon! Ceres’ diameter is estimated to be 945 kilometers, so it would take over 3 hours for one complete lap around this dwarf planet if you were walking at an average pace.
How Far Is Ceres From the Sun
Ceres is the closest dwarf planet to Earth and orbits at a distance of only 2.8 astronomical (257 million miles, 413 million kilometers) units from our sun, which makes it 250 times closer than Pluto!
