Discovery and Naming Eris , the largest known dwarf planet in our solar system, was a groundbreaking discovery. In 2005 , a team led by Mike Brown at the Palomar Observatory identified this distant object, initially codenamed "Xena" after the popular TV character. Its exceptional size and distance challenged the traditional definition of a planet. Later, it was officially named Eris after the Greek goddess of discord and strife, a fitting moniker for a celestial body that stirred up so much astronomical debate. Composition: An Icy World Eris is primarily composed of rock and ice , similar to its fellow dwarf planet, Pluto. However, scientists believe that Eris has a higher proportion of rock compared to ice. This icy exterior is a result of its extreme distance from the Sun, where temperatures plummet to unimaginable lows. Despite its frigid surface, Eris boasts a remarkably high albedo, meaning it reflects a significant amount of sunlight . This suggests a surface covere...
“The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can't imagine”