Lightboxes
Cart
alb9202748

Eris and Dysnomia

Artist's conception of the dwarf planet Eris and its moon Dysnomia. The sun is the small star in the distance. Named after the Greek goddess of conflict, the icy dwarf planet Eris has rattled the general model of our solar system. The object was discovered in the outer reaches of the Kuiper belt in 2005. Its detection provoked debate about Pluto's classification as a planet. Eris is slightly larger than Pluto. So if Pluto qualified as a full-fledged planet, then Eris certainly should too. Astronomers attending the International Astronomical Union meeting in 2006 worked to settle this dilemma, and in the end, Pluto was demoted and reclassified as a dwarf planet along with Eris and the asteroid Ceres, the most massive member of the asteroid belt.
Share
pinterestPinterest
twitterTwitter
facebookFacebook
emailEmail

Add to another lightbox

Add to another lightbox
add to lightbox print share
Do you already have an account? Sign in
You do not have an account? Register
Buy this image
Loading...
Title:
Eris and Dysnomia
Caption:
Artist's conception of the dwarf planet Eris and its moon Dysnomia. The sun is the small star in the distance. Named after the Greek goddess of conflict, the icy dwarf planet Eris has rattled the general model of our solar system. The object was discovered in the outer reaches of the Kuiper belt in 2005. Its detection provoked debate about Pluto's classification as a planet. Eris is slightly larger than Pluto. So if Pluto qualified as a full-fledged planet, then Eris certainly should too. Astronomers attending the International Astronomical Union meeting in 2006 worked to settle this dilemma, and in the end, Pluto was demoted and reclassified as a dwarf planet along with Eris and the asteroid Ceres, the most massive member of the asteroid belt.
Credit:
Album / Robert Hurt, IPAC-Caltech / Science Source
Releases:
Model: No - Property: No
Rights questions?
Image size:
Not available
Print size:
Not available
Keywords: