Ceres (minor-planet designation 1 Ceres) is the largest object in the asteroid belt which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It is a ball of rock and ice 950 km (590 mi) in diameter containing a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. It is the largest asteroid and the only dwarf planet in the inner Solar System. It was the first asteroid to be discovered on 1 January 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi in Palermo though at first it was considered to be a planet.
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