Ceres

views updated May 17 2018

Ceres Largest asteroid and the first to be discovered (January 1, 1801, by Guiseppe Piazzi). Ceres' diameter measures 913km (567mi). It orbits in the main asteroid belt, at an average distance from the Sun of 414 million km (257 million mi), the distance of the ‘missing’ planet predicted by Bode's law.

World Encyclopedia

Ceres

views updated May 08 2018

Ceres The largest solar system asteroid (No. 1), diameter 974 km, approximate mass 10²¹ kg; rotation period 9.078 hours; orbital period 4.6 years. It was discovered in 1801 by G. Piazzi. It accounts for almost half the total estimated mass of all the asteroids.

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY

Ceres

views updated May 18 2018

Ceres in Roman mythology, the corn goddess, the equivalent of the Greek Demeter.

In astronomy, Ceres is the name of the first asteroid to be discovered, found by G. Piazzi of Palermo on 1 January 1801.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

CERES

views updated May 14 2018

CERES (ˈsɪəriːz) (USA) Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH