https://duorolt.com/Plain-English guides to dwarf planets, asteroids, comets and meteors.en-usWed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000https://duorolt.com/articles/what-is-a-dwarf-planet/https://duorolt.com/articles/what-is-a-dwarf-planet/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Dwarf planetsThe three tests behind the label, the extra rule about moons, and how dwarf planets compare with planets, asteroids and satellites.https://duorolt.com/articles/how-many-dwarf-planets-are-there/https://duorolt.com/articles/how-many-dwarf-planets-are-there/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Dwarf planetsFive names are official as of November 2026. Here is who is on the list, who might join it, and why astronomers give different totals.https://duorolt.com/articles/why-pluto-is-a-dwarf-planet/https://duorolt.com/articles/why-pluto-is-a-dwarf-planet/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Dwarf planetsPluto is not too small to be a planet. It failed one specific test. Here is the 2006 vote, the rule behind it and the arguments that continue.https://duorolt.com/articles/pluto-new-horizons-flyby/https://duorolt.com/articles/pluto-new-horizons-flyby/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Dwarf planetsThe 2015 flyby showed a Pluto with glaciers, mountains, dunes and layered haze. This guide sorts the main findings and what is still uncertain.https://duorolt.com/articles/charon-and-plutos-moons/https://duorolt.com/articles/charon-and-plutos-moons/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Dwarf planetsPluto has five known moons as of November 2026. See how Charon stacks up against Pluto and why the four small moons tumble instead of spinning steadily.https://duorolt.com/articles/ceres-dwarf-planet-guide/https://duorolt.com/articles/ceres-dwarf-planet-guide/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Dwarf planetsCeres holds about a quarter of the belt's mass. Learn why it counts as an asteroid and a dwarf planet, and what Dawn found there from 2015 to 2018.https://duorolt.com/articles/eris-and-the-planet-debate/https://duorolt.com/articles/eris-and-the-planet-debate/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Dwarf planetsFound in old images and announced in 2005, Eris forced a vote on what a planet is. Here is its story, its moon Dysnomia and how it measures up to Pluto.https://duorolt.com/articles/haumea-the-spinning-dwarf-planet/https://duorolt.com/articles/haumea-the-spinning-dwarf-planet/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Dwarf planetsA day on Haumea lasts under four hours. See how that spin shaped it, how a 2017 occultation revealed a ring and why astronomers still argue about its discovery.https://duorolt.com/articles/makemake-the-bright-dwarf-planet/https://duorolt.com/articles/makemake-the-bright-dwarf-planet/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Dwarf planetsMakemake is the second-brightest Kuiper Belt object seen from Earth. This guide covers its discovery, surface, tiny moon and the 2025 Webb detection of methane gas.https://duorolt.com/articles/what-are-asteroids/https://duorolt.com/articles/what-are-asteroids/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Asteroids and the asteroid beltA plain-language guide to asteroids, from the 530 km giant Vesta to rocks under 10 m, with the main compositional classes and the zones where they gather.https://duorolt.com/articles/asteroid-belt-explained/https://duorolt.com/articles/asteroid-belt-explained/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Asteroids and the asteroid beltWhere the main belt sits, how little material it holds, what carves its Kirkwood gaps, and why Jupiter kept a planet from forming there.https://duorolt.com/articles/vesta-giant-asteroid-guide/https://duorolt.com/articles/vesta-giant-asteroid-guide/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Asteroids and the asteroid beltVesta has a core, mantle and crust, a basin nearly as wide as itself, and a family of meteorites that landed on Earth. Here is what Dawn showed in 2011 and 2012.https://duorolt.com/articles/near-earth-asteroids-explained/https://duorolt.com/articles/near-earth-asteroids-explained/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Asteroids and the asteroid beltHow astronomers define, count and follow asteroids whose orbits come close to Earth, and why a label like "potentially hazardous" is not a prediction.https://duorolt.com/articles/planetary-defense-and-dart/https://duorolt.com/articles/planetary-defense-and-dart/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Asteroids and the asteroid beltWhat agencies actually do to watch for hazardous asteroids, the numbers from the DART impact on Dimorphos, and the missions that will check the results.https://duorolt.com/articles/osiris-rex-and-bennu/https://duorolt.com/articles/osiris-rex-and-bennu/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Asteroids and the asteroid beltThe mission's key dates, how the touch-and-go grab worked, how much material came back, and the findings from amino acids to sugars, as of November 2026.https://duorolt.com/articles/hayabusa-missions-itokawa-ryugu/https://duorolt.com/articles/hayabusa-missions-itokawa-ryugu/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Asteroids and the asteroid beltHow two Japanese spacecraft reached near-Earth asteroids and returned samples, what the grains revealed, and the 2026 Torifune flyby of Hayabusa2's extended mission.https://duorolt.com/articles/lucy-and-the-trojan-asteroids/https://duorolt.com/articles/lucy-and-the-trojan-asteroids/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Asteroids and the asteroid beltWhat Trojan asteroids are, why they ride along Jupiter's orbit, and a dated tour of Lucy's flybys, from the main-belt rehearsals to the Patroclus and Menoetius pair.https://duorolt.com/articles/apophis-2029-flyby/https://duorolt.com/articles/apophis-2029-flyby/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Asteroids and the asteroid beltWhy Apophis worried astronomers in 2004, how radar data in 2021 ended the concern, and which spacecraft and telescopes will watch the April 2029 flyby.https://duorolt.com/articles/what-is-a-comet/https://duorolt.com/articles/what-is-a-comet/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000CometsThe parts of a comet, from the frozen nucleus to the coma and two tails, and how close-up visits changed the old snowball picture.https://duorolt.com/articles/comet-tails-explained/https://duorolt.com/articles/comet-tails-explained/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000CometsWhy a comet grows two tails of different color and shape, why both point away from the Sun, and how a tail can seem to point the wrong way.https://duorolt.com/articles/comet-vs-asteroid/https://duorolt.com/articles/comet-vs-asteroid/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000CometsHow composition, orbit and behavior separate comets from asteroids, and why active asteroids, main-belt comets and dark comets keep the line fuzzy.https://duorolt.com/articles/kuiper-belt-explained/https://duorolt.com/articles/kuiper-belt-explained/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000CometsWhere the Kuiper Belt sits, what lives in it, how it feeds short-period comets, and what New Horizons found at Pluto and the snowman-shaped Arrokoth.https://duorolt.com/articles/oort-cloud-explained/https://duorolt.com/articles/oort-cloud-explained/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000CometsWhat the Oort Cloud is, how far it reaches, why astronomers infer it from comet orbits instead of seeing it, and how a comet gets nudged toward the Sun.https://duorolt.com/articles/halleys-comet-guide/https://duorolt.com/articles/halleys-comet-guide/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000CometsFacts about Halley's Comet: its 76-year orbit, sightings back to 240 BCE, the Giotto flyby of 1986, the May and October meteor showers, and the 2061 return.https://duorolt.com/articles/great-comets-in-history/https://duorolt.com/articles/great-comets-in-history/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000CometsWhat makes a comet "great", and the stories of Hyakutake in 1996, Hale-Bopp in 1997, NEOWISE in 2020 and the uncertain forecast for Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in 2024.https://duorolt.com/articles/how-to-see-a-comet/https://duorolt.com/articles/how-to-see-a-comet/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000CometsHow to check forecasts, time your night, choose binoculars, read a sky chart and know what a comet looks like at the eyepiece, from NASA skywatching advice.https://duorolt.com/articles/rosetta-and-comet-67p/https://duorolt.com/articles/rosetta-and-comet-67p/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000CometsHow Rosetta reached Comet 67P, what happened to the Philae lander, and what the mission learned about the comet's two-lobed shape, porous body, water and gases.https://duorolt.com/articles/meteor-meteoroid-meteorite/https://duorolt.com/articles/meteor-meteoroid-meteorite/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Meteors, meteorites and impactsA plain guide to the three words, with the extra terms fireball, bolide and micrometeorite placed where they belong.https://duorolt.com/articles/how-meteor-showers-work/https://duorolt.com/articles/how-meteor-showers-work/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Meteors, meteorites and impactsWhy meteors seem to fan out from one spot, which parent bodies feed the best-known showers, and why peak dates barely change from year to year.https://duorolt.com/articles/how-to-watch-a-meteor-shower/https://duorolt.com/articles/how-to-watch-a-meteor-shower/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Meteors, meteorites and impactsA table of the best-known showers, a packing checklist and the Moon conditions for the next peaks, as of November 2026.https://duorolt.com/articles/types-of-meteorites/https://duorolt.com/articles/types-of-meteorites/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Meteors, meteorites and impactsHow scientists sort meteorites, what chondrites and achondrites say about the early Solar System, and which well-known specimens represent each type.https://duorolt.com/articles/fireballs-and-bolides/https://duorolt.com/articles/fireballs-and-bolides/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Meteors, meteorites and impactsWhat the brightness cutoffs mean, why a few fireballs bring a sonic boom minutes later, and a checklist of what to write down if you see one.https://duorolt.com/articles/is-it-a-meteorite/https://duorolt.com/articles/is-it-a-meteorite/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Meteors, meteorites and impactsA step-by-step screen for a possible meteorite, the Earth rocks that fool people most often, and why a lab exam, not a photo, settles the question.https://duorolt.com/articles/impact-craters-on-earth/https://duorolt.com/articles/impact-craters-on-earth/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Meteors, meteorites and impactsFrom a 1.2 km bowl in the Arizona desert to a 180 km structure under Mexico, this covers how impacts leave marks and how scientists prove the cause.https://duorolt.com/articles/tunguska-event-1908/https://duorolt.com/articles/tunguska-event-1908/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Meteors, meteorites and impactsThe airburst explanation, the size and energy estimates with their uncertainty, and what the event taught scientists about small impactors.https://duorolt.com/articles/chelyabinsk-meteor-2013/https://duorolt.com/articles/chelyabinsk-meteor-2013/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Meteors, meteorites and impactsWhat an airburst about 24 to 30 km up did to a city, how videos and sensors reconstructed it within hours, and why it changed how scientists watch for small asteroids.https://duorolt.com/articles/how-minor-planets-are-discovered/https://duorolt.com/articles/how-minor-planets-are-discovered/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Exploration and how we knowA minor planet is found when a dot drifts against fixed stars. Here is the path from first image to confirmed orbit, official designation and credit.https://duorolt.com/articles/how-minor-planets-get-names/https://duorolt.com/articles/how-minor-planets-get-names/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Exploration and how we knowA provisional code, a permanent number and an approved name are three separate steps. This guide decodes each one for asteroids and for comets.https://duorolt.com/articles/how-to-read-an-orbit/https://duorolt.com/articles/how-to-read-an-orbit/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Exploration and how we knowSix numbers describe where a small body travels. This guide explains each one in plain words and uses real asteroids and comets to show how to read them.https://duorolt.com/articles/jpl-small-body-database-guide/https://duorolt.com/articles/jpl-small-body-database-guide/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Exploration and how we knowEnter an object's number or code into a public JPL tool and get orbit, size and discovery data. This guide shows each field and how to find a body's sky position.https://duorolt.com/articles/missions-to-small-bodies-timeline/https://duorolt.com/articles/missions-to-small-bodies-timeline/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Exploration and how we knowForty years of spacecraft visits, from comet flybys to sample returns and an asteroid impact test. Every entry has a date and a mission type.https://duorolt.com/articles/telescopes-that-find-small-bodies/https://duorolt.com/articles/telescopes-that-find-small-bodies/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Exploration and how we knowSome instruments find new objects and others measure size, shape or makeup. Here is what each major facility is good at, with its status as of November 2026.https://duorolt.com/articles/citizen-science-for-small-bodies/https://duorolt.com/articles/citizen-science-for-small-bodies/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Exploration and how we knowSeveral NASA-listed projects invite the public to review telescope images, and amateurs can report measurements. Here is what each involves as of November 2026.https://duorolt.com/articles/stellar-occultations-explained/https://duorolt.com/articles/stellar-occultations-explained/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Exploration and how we knowWhen a distant body hides a star for a few seconds, the shadow measures it better than most telescopes can. Here is how the method works and who takes part.https://duorolt.com/articles/what-asteroids-are-made-of/https://duorolt.com/articles/what-asteroids-are-made-of/Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000Exploration and how we knowNo single measurement identifies an asteroid's makeup. Scientists combine reflected light, density, radar, meteorite matches and returned samples to check one another.