Plutoid

A Plutoid is a transneptunischer dwarf planet.

Following the decision of the International Astronomical Union ( IAU) June 11, 2008 Plutoiden are a sub- class of dwarf planets. So you need an orbit around the sun hold and possess sufficient mass to assume by its own gravity, a hydrostatic equilibrium shape ( roughly spherical shape). Likewise, they may not have adjusted their orbit of other objects, as is the case with planets, and it must not be with them, be a satellite. In contrast to the other dwarf planets comes as an additional criterion for the Plutoiden also the fact that the semi-major axis of its orbit around the sun must exceed that of Neptune.

This means that the dwarf planet Ceres is not called Plutoid, because it is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter orbits the Sun and thus not beyond the orbit of Neptune.

The dwarf planet who received the Plutoidenstatus at the time of definition, were the namesake of Pluto and the slightly larger Eris. It is likely, however, that further Plutoiden in the area behind Neptune's orbit are discovered, and the already known approximately spherical trans-Neptunian objects in the solar system are named according to their classification as a dwarf planet as Plutoiden.

Designation process,

In one of the International Astronomical Union 's Committee on Small Body Nomenclature ( CSBN ) and the IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature ( WGPSN ) guided naming process to doing all celestial bodies in the solar system are considered as Plutoiden in the future for naming purposes, the semi-major axis greater than the of Neptune and whose absolute magnitude is brighter than 1 mag. The classification as a dwarf planet or downgrade to the planetoids is verified in the context of further observations. This Makemake and Haumea were also assigned to the category of Plutoiden.

List of Plutoiden

• Pluto
• Eris
• Makemake
• Haumea

Candidates (selection)

• Varuna
• Quaoar
• Sedna
• Orcus