• Question: How small does a planet have to be ,to be a dwarf planet?

    Asked by holliebob to Reka, Kate, Pip on 9 Nov 2016. This question was also asked by Abi_256.
    • Photo: Reka Nagy

      Reka Nagy answered on 9 Nov 2016:

      Being a dwarf planet isn’t exclusively about size – actually, size is not explicitly mentioned at all in the definition of what a dwarf planet is!
      In order to be classes as a dwarf planet, a planet needs to be orbiting around the Sun (as opposed to around another planet – this is why the Moon is not a dwarf planet, because it orbits around Earth).
      It also needs to be spherical-ish in shape.
      A final requirement is that it has not yet managed to clear its orbit of all other smaller objects – either by pulling them to its surface, or by getting them into a stable orbit around itself.

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