| 1 Ceres | |
|---|---|
| |
| Diameter | 950 km 590 mi. |
| Distance from the Sun | 413 million km 257 million mi. |
| Number of moons | 0 |
| Length of day | 9 hours |
| Length of year | 4 years |
| Atmosphere Components | Any |
Ceres is the largest asteroid in the inner Solar System. It is a rock–ice and the smallest identified dwarf planet. Ceres was discovered on January 1, 1801 by astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi, a monk in Sicily and the founding director of the Palermo Astronomical Observatory. Ceres was found within a gap between Mars and Jupiter where a planet was expected to reside, based on the spacing of the known planets in the solar system.