Facts about Eris
- 09
Eris's highly eccentric orbit varies its distance from the Sun between 38 and 98 astronomical units, causing dramatic temperature fluctuations across its 557-year orbital period.
- 08
In 2010, observations by the Hubble Space Telescope determined that Eris's moon Dysnomia reflects only 4 percent of sunlight, making it among the darkest known moons in the solar system.
- 07
The dwarf planet Eris is named after the Greek goddess of discord and strife, reflecting the astronomical controversy its 2005 discovery sparked regarding planetary classification.
- 06
Approximately 2,326 kilometers across at its widest point, Eris remains the most distant naturally occurring object orbiting within our solar system's gravitational influence.
- 05
Spectroscopic analysis reveals Eris's surface is primarily composed of nitrogen, methane, and water ice, similar to Pluto's composition but with distinct abundance ratios.
- 04
At negative 238 degrees Celsius, Eris ranks among the coldest known objects in our solar system due to its extreme distance from solar radiation.
- 03
Eris has a moon named Dysnomia that orbits the dwarf planet every 15.8 days at a distance of 37,400 kilometers.
- 02
Eris takes 557 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun, making its discovery in 2005 premature for observing even one complete revolution.
- 01
Discovered in 2005, the dwarf planet Eris is slightly smaller than Pluto but about 27 percent more massive, orbiting at 96 astronomical units from the Sun.