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How do astronomers classify a dwarf planet?

Answer 1

Explanation below

A large body will be classified as a dwarf planet if it satisfies any of the following criteria: it cannot be a naturally occurring satellite or planet; it cannot revolve around the Sun; it cannot be too big for the force of gravity to compress it into a spherical shape; and it has not yet cleared the area surrounding its orbit.

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Answer 2

Ian Aitchison

The criteria used by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to classify dwarf planets are as follows: the planet must orbit the Sun, not be a satellite (moon) of another celestial body, possess enough mass to overcome rigid body forces and take on a nearly round shape, and not have cleared its surrounding region of other objects in order to qualify.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.