SPACERIUM

Beyond the familiar orbits of our solar system's planets lies a mysterious realm of icy bodies known as the Kuiper Belt. Among these celestial wanderers is Makemake, a dwarf planet shrouded in an aura of intrigue. With its reddish hue, distant orbit, and enigmatic nature, Makemake has captivated the attention of astronomers and space enthusiasts alike. Let’s embark on a journey to explore this distant world and uncover its secrets. Discovery and Naming Makemake, a dwarf planet residing in the frigid expanse of the Kuiper Belt, was discovered on March 31, 2005, by a team led by Michael E. Brown at the Palomar Observatory in California. Initially nicknamed "Easterbunny" due to its discovery around Easter, it was later formally named after the Rapa Nui creation deity. This name reflects the object's position in the sky during its discovery. Composition and Characteristics Makemake, a substantial object with a diameter roughly two-thirds that of Pluto, is primarily compos...

Discovery and Naming Eris , the largest known dwarf planet in our solar system, was a groundbreaking discovery. In 2005 , a team led by Mike Brown at the Palomar Observatory identified this distant object, initially codenamed "Xena" after the popular TV character. Its exceptional size and distance challenged the traditional definition of a planet. Later, it was officially named Eris after the Greek goddess of discord and strife, a fitting moniker for a celestial body that stirred up so much astronomical debate. Composition: An Icy World Eris is primarily composed of rock and ice , similar to its fellow dwarf planet, Pluto. However, scientists believe that Eris has a higher proportion of rock compared to ice. This icy exterior is a result of its extreme distance from the Sun, where temperatures plummet to unimaginable lows. Despite its frigid surface, Eris boasts a remarkably high albedo, meaning it reflects a significant amount of sunlight . This suggests a surface covere...

  Once hailed as the ninth planet in our solar system, Pluto's status took a dramatic turn in 2006 when it was reclassified as a dwarf planet . This distant and enigmatic celestial body continues to fascinate scientists and space enthusiasts alike. Why Pluto Lost its Planetary Status The demotion of Pluto was a direct result of the discovery of numerous other icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt , a region beyond Neptune. These objects, including Eris which is even larger than Pluto, challenged the traditional definition of a planet. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) established three criteria for a celestial body to be considered a planet: Orbits the Sun: Pluto meets this criterion. Has sufficient mass to assume a nearly round shape: Pluto meets this criterion. Has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit: This is where Pluto falls short. It shares its orbital space with other objects in the Kuiper Belt. Pluto's failure to meet the third criterion led to its reclassific...

Solar System, a topic of exploration which is vast and mysterious in itself, and perhaps this is because in spite of being our home town, it is so big that we have not been able to understand it 100%. In Solar System our parent star SUN has 8 planets revolving in its orientational orbit and out of that the third rocky habitable planet means EARTH is our home, where I am sitting and writing this blog… really fascinating! Solar System sounds like such a familiar name, right? Do we know it completely? You are saying right, we know about the parent star Sun and the 8 planets revolving around it and a little about Pluto, some asteroids, some moons, that's the solar system, right? Not actually, and today we are going to talk about the same topic which everyone knows but is under-rated, that is dwarf planets, you must know that Pluto is placed in the category of dwarf planets because it is small and its orbit is not like other planets, not only Pluto, there are more than 100 dwarf planets...