Science Common Sense

569 - What is the difference between a planet and a dwarf planet?

Imagine you're in our solar system. There are big planets like Earth and Jupiter, and smaller ones called dwarf planets.

The main difference is size and how they move in space.

A planet is a big object that orbits the Sun (it goes around the Sun), and its gravity (a force that pulls things towards it) is strong enough to make it a ball shape.

A dwarf planet is smaller and also orbits the Sun, but its gravity isn't strong enough to make it a perfect ball shape. Dwarf planets are usually irregular shapes.

So, it's about how big they are, how round they are, and how much gravity they have.