Ceres Dwarf Planet

Ceres is the smallest dwarf planet of solar system discovered in 1801 and even half a century had the status of the planet. Named after the Roman goddess Ceres. Ceres is the largest body of the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter.
With a diameter of about 950 km, Ceres is by far the largest and most massive body in the asteroid belt, and contains one-third (32%) of the total mass of the belt. Recent observations have revealed that Ceres is spheroidal, unlike the irregular shapes of smaller bodies with lower gravity. Ceres area is likely to consist of a mixture of ice, water and various hydrated minerals like carbonates and clays. Ceres apparent magnitude is ranging from 6.7 to 9.3 and therefore are underexposed to be seen with the naked eye.

Ceres is by far the largest asteroid. Ceres is the smallest in the category of dwarf planets. It was discovered by Italian Giuseppe Piazzi in the first night in 19 century - 1 January 1801. Ceres is named after the goddess of agriculture in Roman mythology. The mass of Ceres is 9.45 ± 0.04 x 10²⁰ kg, which is still only 4% of the mass of the Moon. There are indications that the surface of Ceres is warm enough to support a weak atmosphere and that on the surface can be found frosting.
Distance from the Sun: 446,000,000 km
Distance from the Earth: 270 400 000 km
Diameter: 950 km
Mass: 9.45 ± 0.04 x 10²⁰ kg