Dwarf Planet Ceres: Biggest in the Asteroid Belt (Infographic)

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Facts about protoplanet Ceres.
The Dawn space probe is getting humanity's best view yet of the tiny survivor from the solar system's earliest days. (Image credit: By Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)

The dwarf planet Ceres is 590 miles (950 kilometers) in diameter, or about the size of the state of Texas. Ceres is thought to be a surviving protoplanet, or planetary embryo, formed 4.57 billion years ago in the earliest days of our solar system. 

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Karl Tate
Karl Tate
Space.com contributor

Karl's association with Space.com goes back to 2000, when he was hired to produce interactive Flash graphics. From 2010 to 2016, Karl worked as an infographics specialist across all editorial properties of Purch (formerly known as TechMediaNetwork).  Before joining Space.com, Karl spent 11 years at the New York headquarters of The Associated Press, creating news graphics for use around the world in newspapers and on the web.  He has a degree in graphic design from Louisiana State University and now works as a freelance graphic designer in New York City.