Joe Rogan was stunned on a recent show when guest Billy Carson revealed that the planet orbiting the Sun after Mars is named Ceres, not Jupiter.
What Happened: Carson, a space enthusiast and best-selling author, stirred curiosity by discussing the often-overlooked dwarf planet Ceres. Rogan, known for exploring a host of topics with his guests, expressed his surprise and interest in this celestial body, which, despite being the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system, remains largely unknown to many.
Carson described Ceres as the next planet after Mars, intriguing Rogan with details about its unique features. “Ceres, C-E-R-E-S,” Carson spelled out, noting that it’s significantly smaller than Mars.
The discussion also touched on the peculiarities and mysteries surrounding Ceres, particularly the intriguing phenomenon of observing lights on the planet’s surface. “When they [NASA probe] flew by it a few years ago, the lights were on,” Carson claimed, challenging the initial explanation of ice particles reflecting sunlight. “And so they tried to say it was ice particles glistening in the sunlight. So when they got to the dark side, guess what? The lights were on the dark side.”
Rogan, fascinated, dove deeper into the specifics of Ceres, learning that it orbits between Mars and Jupiter and is part of the main asteroid belt. Reading aloud from his notes, he explained that due to its small size, Ceres remains too dim to be seen with the naked eye, except under extremely dark skies, even at its brightest.
It is worth noting though that Ceres is not alone in its category. It stands as one of the five officially recognized dwarf planets in our solar system, alongside Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. These celestial bodies share common features like being spherical in shape and orbiting the Sun, yet they do not clear their orbital paths like larger planets.
Giuseppe Piazzi discovered Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, in 1801, making it the first of its kind. Since then, scientists have classified it as a dwarf planet because of its size and distinct composition, setting it apart from its rocky neighbors. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft’s visit in 2015 marked Ceres as the first dwarf planet to receive a visit from a spacecraft. This encounter has sparked scientific interest due to Ceres’ potential to harbor signs of life, thanks to its significant water content, which is uncommon in other parts of our solar system.
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