A new telescopic survey of Hygiea—the fourth largest object in the main asteroid belt—suggests it’s a dwarf planet, due to its surprisingly spherical shape. Discovered in 1849 by Italian astronomer ...

Astronomers using ESO’s SPHERE instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed that the asteroid Hygiea could be classified as a dwarf planet. The object is the fourth largest in the ...

Astronomers think (10) Hygiea could be reclassified as a dwarf planet — which would make it the smallest such body in the solar system. The fourth largest object in the asteroid belt, a space rock ...

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