Last week I was at a national planetarium conference in St. Louis. One of the invited talks was about the New Horizon mission to Pluto (and beyond!) by one of the scientists involved in mapping the ...

Scientists have discovered methane gas on the dwarf planet Makemake, a finding that has surprised astronomers studying the outer solar system.

Using Pluto as an example, this celestial body, once considered the ninth planet, was redefined as a dwarf planet in 2006.

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An illustration of confirmed dwarf planets and their moons. From left to right: Pluto (with ...

However, Ceres is the only one located within the inner solar system. The rest of the dwarf planets, which include Haumea, Makemake and Eris, are located far beyond the orbit of Neptune. In recent ...

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) currently recognizes five dwarf planets in our solar system, though there are likely many more. The most famous of the bunch is Pluto, way out beyond the ...