Eris

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

An image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope showing the dwarf planet Eris in visible light.

Read Next

Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles

Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?

Pluto. Crop of asset: 172304/IC code: pluto0010 at 270 degrees. The Changing Faces of Pluto. Most detailed view to date of the entire surface of the dwarf planet Pluto, constructed from multiple NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs 2002-03.

Wee Worlds: Our 5 (Official) Dwarf Planets

solar eclipse, sun, moon, astronomy, space

How Do You Tell the Difference Between Total, Annular, Solar, and Lunar Eclipses?

Solar system illustration. (Sun; planets)

A Model of the Cosmos

Background: abstract bubble planets with clouds. astrology, astronomy, atomosphere, big bang, bubbles, fantasy, future, galaxy, universe, stars

9 Ghostly Planets

Discover

In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.

6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

12 Greek Gods and Goddesses

United States Electoral College votes by state

How Many Electoral College Votes Does Each U.S. State Have?

Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.

Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

Artist interpretation of a Space meteoroid impact. Meteor impact. Asteroid, End of the world, danger, destruction, dinosaur extinct, Judgement Day, Planet Earth, Doomsday Predictions, comet

10 Failed Doomsday Predictions

Still from the film Deliverance, 1919. The story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. View shows Keller in the cockpit/front seat of an airplane.

How Did Helen Keller Fly a Plane?

How Do You Tell the Difference Between Total, Annular, Solar, and Lunar Eclipses?

Science & Tech

Eris

astronomy

Also known as: 2003 UB313, Xena

Written by Clark R. Chapman

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 29, 2024 • Article History

Eris, large, distant body of the solar system, revolving around the Sun well beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto in the Kuiper belt. It was discovered in 2005 in images taken two years earlier at Palomar Observatory in California, U.S. Before it received its official name, Eris was known by the provisional designation 2003 UB₃₁₃; it was nicknamed “Xena” by its discoverers and also briefly termed the “10th planet.” With a diameter of 2,326 km (1,445 miles), Eris is slightly smaller than Pluto (diameter 2,370 km [1,473 miles]). Both it and Pluto are classified as dwarf planets under categories ...(100 of 196 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.