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You are here: Home / Space / What Are the Minor Planets and What Was the First Minor Planet Discovered In Our Solar System?

What Are the Minor Planets and What Was the First Minor Planet Discovered In Our Solar System?

April 16, 2020 by Karen Hill

In the asteroid belt, between the planets Mars and Jupiter, a band of asteroids, relatively small, irregular, rocky chunks of matter, orbits the Sun.

They are also called minor planets.

The term “minor planet” has been used since the 19th century to describe astronomical objects in direct orbit around the Sun that is neither a dominant planet nor a comet.

The first minor planet Ceres was discovered in 1801, and since then, hundreds of thousands of minor planets have been discovered within the Solar System.

During its 2006 meeting, the International Astronomical Union reclassified minor planets and comets into dwarf planets and small solar system bodies.

Related Facts

  • Where Did Minor Planets In Our Solar System Come From and What Are the Minor Planets Made Of?
  • How Were the Minor Planets In the Solar System Discovered and When Was the Missing Planet Ceres Discovered?
  • How Big Are the Minor Planets Between Mars and Jupiter and What Was the First Minor Planet Discovered?
  • How Many Minor Planets Are There In Our Solar System and Where Are the Main Belt Asteroids Located?
  • What Are the Inner Planets and What Are the Names Of the Four Inner Planets In Our Solar System?
  • What Are the Characteristics of the Inner Planets In Our Solar System and How Are the Inner Planets Similar?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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