Meet the Dwarf Planets
Students learn the 2006 IAU definition of a planet and a dwarf planet, then tour the five recognized dwarf planets and several candidates to see what they share and how they differ.
Grades 5-8About 15 minutes of narrated flight, plus discussion stops9 stops
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What students will see and do
Students view the whole solar system from above, then fly to Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, Gonggong, Quaoar and Sedna. Aetherion pauses for discussion at the solar system overview (deciding science questions by vote), at Pluto (does the label change how we see a world), and at Gonggong (what evidence shows a distant object is round).
Learning objectives
- Explain the three tests in the 2006 IAU definition of a planet and which one dwarf planets fail.
- Identify the five recognized dwarf planets and where each one orbits.
- Compare the sizes, shapes, moons and distances of several dwarf planets and candidates.
- Describe how astronomers use brightness and moon orbits to study objects too far away to see in detail.
NGSS connections
| MS-ESS1-3 | Students compare size, distance and orbital properties of dwarf planets with each other and with the major planets. |
|---|---|
| MS-ESS1-2 | Students connect a world's gravity to its round shape and to whether it can clear its orbital neighborhood. |
Stops on this journey
- Drawing the Line (discussion stop)
- Ceres, the Closest
- Pluto and Its Heart (discussion stop)
- Eris, the Troublemaker
- Haumea, the Spinning Egg
- Makemake, the Easter World
- Waiting in Line (discussion stop)
- Quaoar and Its Strange Ring
- Sedna, the Far Traveler
Vocabulary
- dwarf planet
- International Astronomical Union
- hydrostatic equilibrium (round shape from gravity)
- clearing the neighborhood
- Kuiper Belt
- candidate
- orbit
- moon