Its apparent magnitude ranges from 6.7 to 9.3, peaking at opposition, when closest to Earth, once during its 15- to 16-month synodic period. This makes Ceres the only dwarf planet inside Neptune's orbit.Ĭeres's small size means that even at its brightest, it is too dim to be seen by the naked eye, except under extremely dark skies. In 2006, it was reclassified again as a dwarf planet because, at 940 km (580 mi) in diameter, it is the only asteroid large enough for its collective gravity to pull it into an spheroid. Originally considered a planet, it was reclassified as an asteroid in the 1850s after the discovery of over 20 other objects in similar orbits. Ceres was the first asteroid discovered, on 1 January 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi at Palermo Astronomical Observatory in Sicily. Ceres ( / ˈ s ɪər iː z/ minor-planet designation: 1 Ceres) is the largest astronomical object in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
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