Dwarf planets are roundand orbit the Sun just likethe eight major planets. Butunlike planets, dwarf planetsare not able to clear theirorbital path so there are nosimilar objects at roughly thesame distance from the Sun.

This artist's concept shows dwarf planets Eris, Pluto and Ceres in comparison to Earth. Pluto's moon Charon also is shown.

A dwarf planet is much smaller than a planet(smaller even than Earth'smoon), but it is not amoon. Pluto is the bestknown of the dwarf planets.Known dwarf planets are

smaller than Earth's moon.

According to the International AstronomicalUnion, which sets definitions for planetary science,a dwarf planet is a celestial body that :•Orbits the sun.•Has enough mass to assume a nearly round shape.•Has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.•Is not a moon.

The main distinction between a dwarf planet anda planet is that planets have cleared the patharound the sun while dwarf planets tend to orbit inzones of similar objects that can cross their patharound the sun, such as the asteroid and Kuiperbelts. Dwarf planets also are generally smaller thanthe planet Mercury.

The first five recognized dwarf planets areCeres, Pluto, Eris, MakeMake and Haumea.Scientists believe there may be dozens or evenmore than 100 dwarf planets awaiting discovery.

The first five recognized dwarf planets are Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Makemake and Haumea.

It is estimated that there may be 200 dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt of the outer Solar System and up to 10,000 in the region beyond.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has accepted four of these: Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake, as well as Ceres in the inner Solar System. This article lists these and the more likely of the remaining known possibilities.

Besides the five dwarf planets officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), there are four other possible dwarf planets that have been reported and are awaiting official recognition. There may be many more celestial objects in our Solar System that fit the definition of a dwarf planet. In fact, there could possibly be 200 dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt alone.

NUMBER 23, 24, 25, 27, 29, 30, 31, 36, 37, 38