Ceres

                              Ceres

Ceres was discovered by Piazzi in January 1801. He reported it as a comet. Later it was called an asteroid because of the small size, high inclination and sharing the orbit with Pallas, one of the largest asteroids found out after Ceres. In 2006 Ceres was proposed before the International Astronomical Unit to be considered a planet. But according to the new definition of a planet Ceres cannot be considered a planet and it is included among the dwarf planets with Pluto and Xena. Ceres orbits through the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It takes 4.6 years to complete one orbit. The surface of Ceres is more or less slight and freezing with a temperature of about -38°C. The innermost layer of Ceres is a rocky core covered with a mantle of ice and water. The mantle is about 120-60 kilometres thick and contains a vast amount of water. The outermost layer is a thin and dusty crust. Two dark features were discovered on Ceres, but it was not yet confirmed as craters.

                 Spacecraft to Ceres

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched a spacecraft. Dawn, by 2007 to collect details of Ceres and Vesta, one of the largest asteroids. Dawn is expected to pass by Vesta in 2011 and reach Ceres by 2015.