

Science May 10

NASA New Horizons mission leader Alan Stern and astrobiologist David Grinspoon divulge the most intimate accounts of the decades of planning needed for the Pluto probe in the new book “Chasing New Horizons.”…
By Rashmi Shivni
Science Jun 24

In December 2003, the Hubble Telescope spotted something peculiar on the surface of Ceres, a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Hazy images revealed something bright and mysterious shining on the dark planet’s surface, like animal…
By Jenny Marder
Science Mar 06

After spending nearly eight years floating through deep space, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft finally reached its destination Friday, a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt called Ceres.
By Joshua Barajas and Rebecca Jacobson, Inside Energy
Science Feb 18

Years into its nearly decade-long mission to survey the asteroid belt, NASA's Dawn spacecraft traveled through deep space to better understand the dwarf planet Ceres. Now within 52,000 miles of the celestial body, Dawn's latest images still leave scientists baffled…
By Joshua Barajas
Members of the International Astronomical Union voted in August to reclassify Pluto as a "dwarf planet." Many astronomers, however, are unhappy with the demotion -- they question its scientific validity and the way the decision was made.
Top international astronomers voted Thursday to strip Pluto's planetary status that it has held since its discovery in 1930. The celestial object is now redefined as a "dwarf planet," leaving just eight major planets in the solar system.
Aug 24

By PBS NewsHour
After years of debate over Pluto's planetary status, the International Astronomical Union voted Thursday to classify the celestial object as a "dwarf planet," thereby shrinking the number of major planets in the solar system to eight.
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