Suppose you are exploring the Kuiper belt with your telescope and you discover an object you suspect might be a dwarf planet. What would you need to find out about the body to see if it was a dwarf planet?

see if the diameter is 838 km or more

orbits the Asteroid belt

see if the diameter is 656 km or more

orbits the Sun

cleared the neighborhood of other objects.

1 answer

To determine whether the object you discovered in the Kuiper Belt qualifies as a dwarf planet, you need to consider the following criteria set by the International Astronomical Union (IAU):

  1. Orbits the Sun: The object must be in orbit around the Sun.

  2. Sufficient mass for a nearly round shape: The object must be large enough that its self-gravity causes it to assume a nearly round shape (hydrostatic equilibrium). While there isn't a strict diameter requirement for this, many recognized dwarf planets are larger than about 600 km in diameter.

  3. Not cleared its neighborhood: The object must not have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit of other debris. This means it shares its orbital zone with other objects and is not gravitationally dominant.

  4. Diameter: While there is no official minimum diameter requirement defined for dwarf planets, those recognized typically have diameters of several hundred kilometers or more, with 800 km often cited as a common cutoff for many discussions around dwarf planets.

Given these criteria, the relevant items from your list are:

  • Orbits the Sun: This criterion must be satisfied.
  • Has a diameter of 838 km or more: This could indicate that it is large enough to be in hydrostatic equilibrium.
  • Has a diameter of 656 km or more: This is below the diameter often discussed for dwarf planets but might still be relevant, depending on the object's shape.
  • Not cleared the neighborhood of other objects: This indicates the object's gravitational influence relative to its surroundings.

In summary, you would need to confirm that the object orbits the Sun, determine whether it is large enough to be nearly round, and verify whether it has cleared its neighborhood of other objects.