The most distant dwarf planet from the sun, Eris also has the greatest mass. Eris is a dwarf planet that was once thought to be the 10th planet, but it lost the title because it’s actually smaller than Pluto. When Eris was discovered, it started up a firestorm of discussion. The discovery eventually leads to the classification of dwarf planets. Eris, also known as 2003 UB313, is an object in our solar system that’s been left out of all previous textbooks because it was only discovered by scientists in 2005.
Facts About Eris
- Eris was once considered for the position of a tenth planet.
- Eris was named after the Greek goddess of discord.
- The second-largest dwarf planet is Eris.
- It’s surprising that all the objects in the Asteroid Belt could fit inside Eris.
- The distance of the dwarf planet Eris from its sun varies over time.
- The atmosphere on Eris is so far from the Sun that it freezes up without any sunlight.
- Scientists have found that the surface of Eris is rocky.
- It is believed that Eris used to be located in the Kuiper belt.
- The distance of Eris from the Sun is approximately 96.4 astronomical units
- The most distant objects in the Solar System are currently Eris and its moon Dysnomia.
Eris size compared to the Moon and Earth
Ask An Astronomer About Eris
Do you have a question about Eris? We answer many questions that people ask Astronomers.
How Long Does It Take Eris to Orbit the Sun
558 years
How Far From the Sun Does Eris Orbit
From an average distance of 6,289,000,000 miles (10.125 billion kilometers), Eris is about 68 astronomical units away from the Sun.
How Long Does It Take For Eris To Rotate
Eris is a dwarf planet orbiting the Sun that completes one rotation every 25.9 hours, which corresponds to Earth’s day length of 24 hours and 15 minutes.
How Long Is a Year on Eris
558 Earth years
How Long Is a Day on Eris
A day on Eris takes 25.9 hours.
How Old Is Eris
4.503 billion years
How Did Eris Get Its Name
The goddess of discord and strife is the namesake for Eris, originally designated 2003 UB313. Scientists are still debating about what constitutes a planet because this celestial body resides at the center of their debate.
Who Discovered Eris
The 2003 Palomar Observatory survey for the outer solar system led to a discovery of Eris, first spotted by Mike Brown. This was discovered with Chad Trujillo and David Rabinowitz at Yale University.
How Many Spacecrafts Have Visited Eris
Eris is the largest object in our solar system that has never been visited by a spacecraft.
Does Eris Have Rings
Eris has no known rings.
Does Eris Have Moons
The moon Dysnomia orbits around Eris and has a very short orbit, lasting only 16 days. This small body also comes with the name of one of Eris’ daughters. The demon goddess who presides over lawlessness; appropriately enough this celestial object can be used to calculate its parent’s mass.
How Many Moons Does Eris Have
One
What Are the Names of Eris Moons
Eris single moon is called Dysnomia
How Much Gravity Is on Eris
Though Eris’ gravity is weak compared to Earth’s, 0.82 m/s², it has the strongest of all dwarf planets.
Is There Water On Eris
The surface of Eris is probably composed of nitrogen-rich ice mixed with frozen methane in about a 1-millimeter thick layer. This icing can form as the dwarf planet’s atmosphere condenses, like frost, on the surface when it moves away from our sun.
How Big Is Eris
722.65 mi
What Is the Diameter of Eris
1,445.3 mi
What Is Eris Made of
Eris is a dwarf planet composed of nitrogen-rich ice and frozen methane, researchers said. The surface could be the result of Eris’ atmosphere condensing as frost on the surface due to its movement away from the sun.
What Is Eris Atmosphere Made of
Scientists have found that the surface of Eris is composed of methane and nitrogen ice. This led to a theory about a frozen atmosphere, which would be equivalent in pressure to Earth’s upper troposphere if it were exposed on our planet.
Does Eris Have a Magnetic Field
The magnetosphere of Eris is a completely unknown entity.
What Is The Temperature on Eris
The surface temperature of Eris varies between 30 and 56 K (−243.2 and −217.2 °C). At these low temperatures, the color white is most common on its icy landscape, unlike Pluto or Triton which are more reddish in their colors.
What Color Is Eris
Scientists have found a frozen methane layer on the surface of Eris. Apparently, it appears gray in color and is hard to see through.
Can We Live on Eris
The surface of Eris is extremely cold, so it seems unlikely that life could exist there. Why? The temperature on the dark side never exceeds -247 degrees Fahrenheit too far below freezing for any signs of life to thrive.
How Far Is Eris From Earth
Dwarf Planet Eris is currently 14,492,061,163 kilometers away from Earth. That’s 96.873445 Astronomical Units!
How Big Is Eris Compared to Earth
In comparison to the size of Earth, Eris is about 1/5th as big. If you could shrink down our planet so that it’s just a little bit smaller than a nickel coin, then Eris might be about as small and round in shape as a popcorn kernel!
How Long Does It Take to Get to Eris
It takes 560 years for Eris to orbit, so in 18 years it will barely have moved. For the purpose of the launch window, it is just like there’s a stationary target waiting with open arms!
How Big Is Eris Compared to the Moon
The dwarf planet Eris is smaller than Earth’s Moon, with about two-thirds of the diameter and one-third volume. Sometimes it can be more distant from other planets or stars in our solar system.
How Far Is Eris From the Sun
Eris is a little smaller than Earth’s Moon, yet it still holds the title for the second-largest dwarf planet in our solar system. From an average distance of 6,289 million miles away from the Sun (10125 billion kilometers), Eris hangs at about 68 astronomical units out and around!
Is Eris or Pluto bigger?
Eris is one of the largest known dwarf planets in our solar system. It’s about the same size as Pluto, but it’s three times farther from the sun than Earth and so its surface temperature ranges between -223 degrees Fahrenheit (-140 Celsius) to 276 F (135 C), which makes for a pretty extreme climate!
