Scientists observing the asteroid Hygiea indicate that there are grounds to include it as a dwarf planet. The group includes researchers from the Astronomical Observatory of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. The results of their research were published in Nature Astronomy.

They used one of the world’s biggest telescopes – ESO VLT for observations of the asteroids with unprecedented resolution. The measurements were supported by observations using small telescopes, also amateur ones, registered on the GaiaGOSA website run at the Astronomical Observatory Institute of the Poznań University.

Determining the exact shape and size of Hygieia gives grounds to classify it as a dwarf planet. Hygiea now meets all four necessary conditions to be classified as a dwarf planet: it orbits the sun, is not the moon and – unlike the planet – has not cleared the environment of its orbit and is almost spherical.
More: https://amu.edu.pl/dla-mediow/komunikaty-prasowe/n-planeta-karlowata-naukowcy-z-uam-w-grupie-badaczy-obiektu-hygiea