Several astronomy questions... This isn't homework, just things I knew but don't remember.?

Question

What is the dwarf planet between Earth and Mars called?(I think that is where it is located.)

A new planet was found a few years ago. What is the status on that? does it have a name? Is it beyond neptune?

Which planets spin in the opposite direction of Earth and most other planets on their axis?

Answer 1

I might add one thing to "triteamdan's" answer. Venus' "backwards" rotation is due to the fact that the poles are "upside down, that is, the North Pole is at the "bottom, and the South Pole is at the "top", which gives it an APPARENT reversed rotation. Uranus, on the other hand, truly spins "backwards" in relation to the Earth's rotation if you were to look at it from its North Pole.
Uranus information (Cool photos!):
http://www.mira.org/fts0/planets/101/text/txt001x.htm

The odd thing about Uranus is that it is tilted on its side so that the North pole is pointed towards the Sun, instead of "up" like it is on the Earth. Essentially, its Equator runs from top to bottom, rather than around around the middle like our Equator.

There was a meeting of Astronomers last summer, and they demoted Pluto from a planet to a "dwarf planet" because Pluto, its moon Chardon, and the newest planetary discovery "Eris" (or 2003 UB313), which is actually bigger than Pluto, do not dominate their respective orbits around the Sun.
Information on Eris:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eris_%28dwarf_planet%29

Ceres, the smallest dwarf planet yet discovered, is located right in the middle of the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter.
Ceres info and photos:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Ceres

So now we are back to having 8 planets, and a whole lot of big rocks, mostly between Mars and Jupiter and three big rocks outside of Neptune that are no longer called "planets".
News on Pluto's demotion:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14489259/

I say, Once a planet, always a planet!!! They are all so vastly different that how can anyone define what a planet actually is??? A gas giant? A big rock? A small rock?

Hope we gave you enough information. Space is really cool! I've been facinated with space for almost 45 years!

Mack

Answer 2

Minor planets with perihelion between Earth and Mars are called "Amor asteroids" from the name of the first such asteroid discovered (1221 Amor). However, depending on what you define as between mars and Earth, there may be more. Check Wikipedia at Minor_planet

After the August 2006 discussion at the IAU meeting in Prague, the number of planets went from 9 to 8. Therefore, no new planet (and Pluto was demoted). The few Trans Neptunian objects that were found (at least one bigger than Pluto) have not become planets.

Answer 3

Never heard of the "dwarf planet" between Earth and Mars, so can't help with that one.
The new "planet" has not actually been declared a planet, in fact this discovery has caused scientist to rethink and demote Pluto from planetary status. I have not heard of a name for this new planet.
I'm thinking that Neptune spins backwards relative to other planets, but I could be wrong

Answer 4

Hello. Interesting questions. I don't know the answer to the first one.
The second one is 2003UB.313, which is also called Xena. It was discovered in January 2005 by astronomers Mike Brown (Caltech), Chad Trujillo (Gemini Observatory), and David Rabinowitz (Yale). As u know it is not a plant any more. Yes it is beyond Neptune and it's orbit overlaps Pluto's. It is in a way that in sometimes of it's year it is situated after Pluto and in some other times before it.
The answer to the third question is Venus I think. The goddess of love.

Answer 5

At least three planets have been found by a group of Caltech astronomers: Quaoar, Sedna and Eris (originally dubbed "Xena" by Mike Brown and his team.)

The planet with the opposite spin is Venus, it spins very slowly though.

Answer 6

the dwarf planet is Ceres, which was the first asteroid discovered and is in the main asteroid belt btwn. Mars and Jupiter.

Interesting questions; i am also curious to see the answers to the others you posed.