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dwarf planet
[ dwawrf plan-it ]
noun
, Astronomy.
- a spherical celestial body revolving about the sun, similar to a planet but not large enough to gravitationally clear its orbital region of most or all other celestial bodies. In 2006, the planet Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.
dwarf planet
noun
- any celestial body within the solar system that is larger than a satellite but smaller than a planet, and that orbits the sun
dwarf planet
- A celestial body that orbits the Sun and is massive enough to assume a nearly spherical shape, but that does not clear other bodies from the neighborhood around its orbit and is not a satellite of a planet. Dwarf planets include Ceres, Pluto, and Eris. This category was created by the International Astronomical Union in 2006.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of dwarf planet1
First recorded in 1990–95
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