document_title: New York Constitution

question_text: who wrote the new york state constitution of 1777

text: New York Constitution

text: Constitution of New York, 1777[edit]

text: The Fourth New York Provincial Congress, resolving itself as the Convention of Representatives of the State of New York, adopted the first constitution of the state of New York on April 20, 1777.

text: The Province of New York was established after the naval invasion and absorption of the previous Dutch Colony of New Netherlands. The original proprietor was the Duke of York, the future James II of England and James VII of Scotland and younger brother of the then-King of England, Charles I. Its Colonial Charter was under authority from the Monarch, (the King or Queen of Great Britain) of the Kingdom of England and later of Great Britain, after the Act of Union of 1707 which united England and Wales and the formerly independent kingdom of Scotland

text: The First Constitution of 1777, which replaced this Colonial Charter with its royal authority, for the newly independent "State of New York" was framed by a Convention which assembled at White Plains, New York, (just north of New York City) on Sunday evening, July 10, 1776. The city was then threatened with a British occupation by an invading British Army landing on Staten Island. There were repeated adjournments and changes of location, caused by the increasingly desperate war situation, with General George Washington's ragged Continental Army, forced out of New York City by crushing defeats in the New York and New Jersey campaign.

text: The work of creating a democratic and free independent state continued by the Convention through the bitter winter with the British quartered in the City of New York and Washington's few thousand troops camped in winter quarters to the southwest in Morristown, New Jersey. The first Constitutional Convention in New York's history terminated its labors at Kingston, New York, on Sunday evening, April 20, 1777, when the new Constitution was adopted with but one dissenting vote, and then adjourned. It was not submitted to the people for ratification, however because of the war situation. It was drafted by John Jay, Robert R. Livingston, (new Chancellor of the State of New York), and Gouverneur Morris, noted financier for the Revolutionary Colonial war effort.[3][4]

text:
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New York Constitution of 1777

text: This Constitution was a combination document, containing its own "Declaration of Independence" from Great Britain, and its Constitutional Law. It called for a weak bicameral legislature (Assembly and State Senate) and a strong executive branch with a Governor. It retained provisions from the Colonial Charter such as the substantial property qualification for voting and the ability of the Governor to prorogue (dismiss) the Legislature. This imbalance of power between the branches of state government kept the elite firmly in control, and disenfranchised the majority of the male New York population. Slavery was legal in New York until 1827.

text: Under this Constitution, the lower chamber Assembly had a provision for a maximum of 70 Members, with the following apportionment:

text:
For the City and County of New York (that is, Manhattan Island), nine.
The City and County of Albany (Now Albany, Columbia, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Greene, Schoharie, and Schenectady Counties), ten
Dutchess County (now Dutchess and Putnam counties), seven.
Westchester County (now Bronx and Westchester counties), six.
Ulster County, (now Ulster and Sullivan Counties, and the northern part of Orange County) six.
Suffolk County, five.
Queens County (now Queens and Nassau Counties), four.
Orange County (now the southern part of Orange County, as well as Rockland County), four.
Kings County, two.
Richmond County, two.
Tryon County (now Montgomery County), six.
Charlotte County (now Washington County, and also the present Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and St. Lawrence counties), four.
Cumberland County (seceded January 15, 1777 to the Vermont Republic), three.
Gloucester County (seceded January 15, 1777 to the Vermont Republic), two.

text: This apportionment stood unchanged until seven years after the end of the Revolutionary War, in 1790, when the First United States Census was held to correct apportionments.

text: On the subject of enfranchisement, Article VII of the new constitution said:

text: Constitutional Convention of 1801[edit]

text: The Constitutional Convention of 1801 was not convened to propose a new Constitution. Instead, it formed purely to resolve differences of interpretation of §23 of the 1777 Constitution, which provided for a Council of Appointment. Governor John Jay sent a special message to the lower chamber (New York State Assembly) on February 26, 1801, and the same message to the upper chamber (New York State Senate) on the following day, in relation to the Council of Appointment, reciting the differences which had existed between Council and Governor, not only during his own term, but during the term of his predecessor, Governor George Clinton. Governor Jay claimed that under the Constitution the Governor had the exclusive right of nomination, but some members of the Council of Appointment claimed a concurrent right of nomination. This, the Governor denied, and in this message he recommends that it be settled in some way.

text: Since the original Constitution had no provisions as to how to amend it, on April 6, 1801, the legislature passed a law with the title "An Act Recommending a Convention" for the purpose of considering the question of the interpretation of §23 of the Constitution, and also that part of the Constitution relating to the number of members of both Senate and Assembly. The Senate was originally composed of twenty-four members, and the Assembly of seventy members, and provision was made for an increase in each chamber at stated periods, until the maximum should be reached, which was fixed at one hundred senators and three hundred members of assembly. The increase in membership had apparently been more rapid than was at first anticipated. At that time the Senate had increased to forty-three members, and the Assembly to one hundred and twenty-six members.

text: The election of the delegates took place in August; the Convention met on the second Tuesday in October at Albany. It ended two weeks later on October 27, 1801.

text: Among the delegates were DeWitt Clinton (future governor), James Clinton, William Floyd, Ezra L'Hommedieu, Smith Thompson, Daniel D. Tompkins, John Vernon Henry, William P. Van Ness, and Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr, who presided. Tompkins was one of the 14 who voted against the right of nomination being given to the members of the Council of Appointments and the Governor concurrently, a minority which was defeated by 86 votes for this compromise. Previously, both motions, to vest the right of nomination either exclusively in the governor or exclusively in the Council members, were defeated.

text: The changes in this version of the Constitution were:

text:
The number of senators was permanently fixed at 32.
The assembly was given 100 members, and provision was made for a possible increase to 150, by additions to be made after each census.
The right of nomination, formerly vested in the governor only (as John Jay, the original author/contributor of the 1777 Constitution, meant it), was given now to each member of the Council of Appointment and the Governor concurrently.

text: Constitutional Convention of 1821[edit]

text:
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New York Constitution of 1821

text: In 1821, the power struggle between Governor DeWitt Clinton and the Bucktails faction of the Democratic-Republican Party led to the call for a Constitutional Convention by the Bucktail members of the legislature, against Clinton's fierce opposition. Their intention was to transfer powers from the executive to the legislative branch of the government. In November 1820, the legislature passed a bill which authorized the holding of a convention with unlimited powers. Governor Clinton cast the deciding vote in the Council of Revision to veto the bill. The Bucktails did not have a two-thirds majority in the legislature to override the veto. During the regular session (beginning in January 1821), the Legislature passed a new bill that put the question to the people. At the state election in April 1821, the people voted in favor of the convention.

text: The convention met from August to November in Albany. U.S. Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins presided. Between January 15 and 17, 1822, the new constitution, as amended by the convention, was put before the voters for ratification as a whole, and was accepted: for 74,732; against 41,402.

text: There was deep division among New Yorkers over the merits of the amended constitution. Those opposed included:

text:
Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins
Ambrose Spencer, Chief Justice of New York
James Kent. Chancellor of the New York Court of Chancery
William W. Van Ness, Justice of the New York Supreme Court
Jacob R. Van Rensselaer
Stephen Van Rensselaer
James Tallmadge, Jr.
Jonas Platt
Peter A. Jay

text: These men did not sign the new constitution. Supporters (who did sign) included:

text:
Martin Van Buren, future Vice President and President
Erastus Root
Samuel Nelson
Nathan Sanford
Samuel Young
Ogden Edwards

text: Peter R. Livingston, Alexander Sheldon, Jacob Radcliff, Peter Sharpe, Rufus King, and Nathaniel Pitcher were also among the delegates.

text: The changes in this version of the constitution were:

text:
State elections were moved from the last week in April to the first week in November. Beginning in 1823, the terms of the governor (two-year term), lieutenant governor (two-year term), state senators (four-year term) and assemblymen (one-year term) coincided with the calendar year.
The lieutenant governor was to succeed to the governor's office "for the residue of the term" whenever a vacancy occurred, unlike John Tayler, who in 1817 became "Acting Governor" only until the election of a successor.
The Council of Appointment was abolished and the vast majority of formerly appointive offices were made elective. State officeholders were elected by joint ballot of the Assembly and State Senate; others by local popular or legislative elections.
The Council of Revision was abolished. Its power to veto new legislation was transferred to the governor, whose veto could be overcome by a two-thirds vote of the legislature.
The Governor's right to prorogue (dismiss) the legislature at will was abolished.
Property qualifications for white men to vote were removed.
Black men were granted the vote, but with a property qualification which effectively disfranchised nearly all of them. It was at this time that Peter Augustus Jay, one of the delegates and also the son of John Jay gave an impassioned speech at the Convention arguing that the right to vote should be extended to free African Americans. "Peter Augustus Jay, one of a minority of advocates of universal manhood suffrage, insisted that the idea that black people were naturally inferior had long been 'completely refuted and universally exploded.'" [6]
A Canal Board was to be formed by the Commissioners of the Canal Fund (the State Cabinet officers) and the Canal Commissioners
Eight Circuit Courts were created, one in each senatorial district. Until then, the justices of the New York State Supreme Court had held traveling circuit court.

text: Constitutional Convention of 1846[edit]

text:
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New York Constitution of 1846

text: The delegates convened at Albany on June 1, 1846, and adjourned on October 9. The new Constitution was put before the voters at the next state election in November and was adopted. Yes: 221,528 votes, No: 92,436 votes.

text: John Tracy presided. George W. Patterson, Ambrose L. Jordan, Charles H. Ruggles, David R. Floyd-Jones, Charles O'Conor, Samuel J. Tilden (future New York Governor and 1876 Presidential candidate who won popular vote but lost in electoral college to Rutherford B. Hayes), Levi S. Chatfield, William B. Wright, Michael Hoffman and William C. Bouck were among the delegates.[7]

text:
The Court of Chancery and the Court for the Correction of Errors were abolished. Jurisdiction on equity was transferred to the New York Supreme Court, jurisdiction on appeal to the New York Court of Appeals.
The New York State Circuit Courts were abolished, and replaced by the district benches of the New York Supreme Court.
The New York Court of Appeals was established in July 1847, consisting of four statewide elected judges and four justices chosen annually from the New York Supreme Court.
The state cabinet officers (Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer and State Engineer) who had been chosen by joint ballot of the Legislature, were now elected by the voters at the state elections in odd years. The incumbents were legislated out of office on December 31, 1847. The successors were elected at the state election in November and took office on January 1, 1848. From 1848 on, the state officers served a two-year term, one year in the second half of the term of the incumbent Governor, the other year in the first half of the term of the succeeding Governor.

text: Constitutional Convention of 1867–1868[edit]

text: According to the Constitution of 1846, twenty years after its elaboration the electorate was asked if they wanted a constitutional convention to be held, which was answered in the affirmative at the New York state election, 1866 with 352,854 votes for, and 256,364 against the convention. On April 23, 1867, the delegates were elected, and the convention had a small Republican majority.[8] The convention met in June at Albany, New York, adjourned on September 23, met again on November 12,[9] and adjourned again in February 1868. Afterwards the draft was discussed in the New York State Legislature for another year and a half, the questions being if to vote for the whole Constitution or separately for some or all articles. In the end, the new Constitution was rejected by the voters at the New York state election, 1869, with 223,935 votes for and 290,456 against it. The Republican Party advocated the adoption, the Democrats the rejection of the new proposed Constitution of 1867-68, and by 1869 the Democrats had a majority in the State. Only the "Judicial Article" which re-organized the New York Court of Appeals was adopted by a small majority, with 247,240 for and 240,442 against it.

text: William A. Wheeler presided. Waldo Hutchins, George Opdyke, George William Curtis, Horace Greeley, Ira Harris, Martin I. Townsend, Charles Andrews, Charles J. Folger, Augustus Frank, Augustus Schell, Henry C. Murphy, Homer A. Nelson, George F. Comstock, Sanford E. Church, Marshall B. Champlain, Elbridge T. Gerry, Gideon J. Tucker, Samuel J. Tilden, James Brooks, William Hitchman, Abraham B. Tappen, Erastus Corning, Amasa J. Parker, Edwin A. Merritt, Leslie W. Russell, Thomas G. Alvord, Horatio Ballard, Hobart Krum, Ezra Graves, Elbridge G. Lapham, Frank Hiscock,[10] and Israel T. Hatch were among the delegates.[11]

text:
The New York Court of Appeals was totally re-organized. Instead of eight Judges, four elected statewide and four selected from the New York Supreme Court, it had now one Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals and six Associate Judges, all elected statewide.
The Clerk of the New York Court of Appeals was not elected statewide anymore.
The term of office of the Judges of the Court of Appeals and the Justices of the New York Supreme Court was extended from 8 to 14 years, and the rotative renewal (every two years one Judge or Justice had been elected to an eight-year term; in case of a vacancy, a special election was held to fill the remainder of the term only) was abolished. Instead, vacancies were filled as they occurred (by death, resignation, or term expiration), always to a full 14-year term.

text: Constitutional Commission of 1872–1873[edit]

text: After the rejection of all amendments proposed by the Convention of 1867–68, except the judicial article, Governor John T. Hoffman suggested to the Legislature that a non-partisan Constitutional Commission of 32 members should be formed. The Commission had four members from each senatorial district, appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the State Senate, equally divided between the two major political parties. The Commission met from December 4, 1872, to March 15, 1873. They proposed amendments to the Constitution of 1846, which was still in force with amendments which were then approved or rejected by the Legislature, and those approved were then submitted to the voters for ratification.

text: Among the members were: Robert H. Pruyn who presided; George Opdyke, Augustus Schell, John D. Van Buren, Erastus Brooks, Benjamin D. Silliman, George C. Burdett, Francis Kernan, Elias W. Leavenworth, Daniel Pratt, John F. Hubbard Jr., Barna R. Johnson, Lucius Robinson, George B. Bradley, Van Rensselaer Richmond, Lysander Farrar, Lorenzo Morris and Sherman S. Rogers.[12]

text: Major changes:

text:
The terms of the Governor and lieutenant Governor was increased from two to three years.
The statewide elective offices of three Inspectors of State Prisons and three Canal Commissioners were abolished, and were succeeded by a Superintendent of State Prisons and a Superintendent of Public Works, appointed by the governor, and confirmed by the State Senate.

text: Constitutional Convention of 1894[edit]

text: On January 27, 1893, the Legislature passed "An Act to amend chapter 398, of the Laws of 1892, entitled 'An Act to provide for a convention to revise and amend the Constitution'", calling a Constitutional Convention to meet in 1894.[13] The 175 delegates were elected at the New York state election, 1893, five in each senatorial district, and 15 at-large. The Convention met on May 8, 1894, at the New York State Capitol in Albany; and adjourned on September 29. The revised Constitution was submitted for ratification at the New York state election, 1894, in three parts: the new legislative apportionment; the proposed canal improvements; and 31 miscellaneous amendments to the Constitution; which were all adopted by the voters.

text: Among the delegates were: Joseph H. Choate, President; Thomas G. Alvord, First Vice President; Elihu Root; John T. McDonough; Commodore P. Vedder; John I. Gilbert; Augustus Frank; Daniel H. McMillan; Frederic Storm; Almet F. Jenks; John Cooney; Wright Holcomb, De Lancey Nicoll; Leonard A. Giegerich; Gideon J. Tucker; Andrew H. Green; Stephen S. Blake; William Church Osborn; Willard H. Mase; Roswell A. Parmenter; A. Bleecker Banks; Chester B. McLaughlin; Elon R. Brown; Henry J. Cookinham; John C. Davies; Milo M. Acker; Merton E. Lewis, I. Sam Johnson, Henry W. Hill and George Allen Davis.

text: Major changes:[14]

text:
The term of the governor and lieutenant governor was shortened from three to two years.
The election of state officers (Secretary of State, Comptroller, Attorney General; Treasurer; State Engineer) and state senators was moved from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, henceforth coinciding with the gubernatorial election.
The number of state senators was increased from 32 to 50; and the number of assemblymen from 128 to 150.
The State Forest Preserve was given perpetual protection as wild land.[15]
The State-owned Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation was allowed to be sold.
Convict labor in penal institutions was abolished.
The use of voting machines was allowed.
The first meeting of the annual legislative session was moved from the first Tuesday to the first Wednesday in January.

text: 1915 Convention[edit]

text: Under the 1894 Constitution, the people were to vote on the holding of a seventh Constitutional Convention in 1916. However, the Governor proposed that the Convention be moved up to 1915 so that it would not be overshadowed by other issues. Thus, in April 1914, a referendum approved a Constitutional Convention to be held in 1915.[16] There were 168 delegates to the 1915 Convention. Members included Elihu Root (future Presidential Cabinet member and adviser), (the President of the Convention), Seth Low, Henry L. Stimson (past and future Presidential Cabinet member), Alfred E. Smith, and Robert F. Wagner.

text: Proposed changes included:

text:
A reorganization of state government leaving it with 17 departments, reducing the number of elected officials, and providing for the appointment of others
Removing from the State Legislature the power to review local matters and private claims
Budgetary regulation
Improvements in the ways the State could become indebted
Home rule for cities
Giving the State Legislature the authority, with voters' consent, to alter county government
Simplification of the court system
State control over tax assessment
Establishing a conservation commission to oversee natural resources
Expanded rights for workers[17]

text: All of the proposals from the seventh Constitutional Convention of 1915 were grouped into five questions, all of which were rejected by the people. However, all was not lost. In 1925, a revised Article 5, containing many proposals from the Fifth Convention of 1915, was submitted to the people/voters and accepted in a referendum/election. In 1927, the budget proposal from the Fifth Convention was also accepted.[18]

text: 1921 Judiciary Convention[edit]

text: Originally, the 1915 Convention proposed numerous overhauls to the judicial system. The Legislature rejected this article and it was not sent to the voters. However, in 1921, the Legislature authorized a group of thirty people to revise the judiciary article of the 1894 Constitution. However, the proposed article included many proposals from the 1915 Convention, and was again rejected by the Legislature.[19]

text: Constitutional Convention of 1938[edit]

text: The Constitution established in 1894 required the voters to vote on the necessity of a subsequent constitutional convention in 1936. On November 3, 1936, the voters approved the holding of a Convention which was held two years later in 1938.[2]

text: There were 168 delegates to the Eighth Constitutional Convention of 1938. These included Alfred E. Smith (former Governor and Presidential candidate), Hamilton Fish III (U.S.Representative), Robert F. Wagner, future Mayor of New York City), and Robert Moses (major builder as head of New York and New Jersey Port Authority). The Convention was chaired by Frederick E. Crane, the Chief Judge of the State Court of Appeals. Governor Herbert Lehman appointed Charles Poletti to head a committee to gather information for the convention's use. The twelve-volume report they produced is called the "Poletti Report".

text: The 1938 Convention did not actually adopt a new Constitution, but it did propose changes (57 amendments in all) to the continuing Constitution of 1894, which were bundled into nine questions for the voters; only six questions of amendments were approved. Changes approved were:

text:
The State Legislature was now authorized to enact a Social Security program
The State Legislature could provide funding to eliminate railroad crossings
New York City was excluded from debt limits in order to finance a public rapid transport system
An amendment setting out the rights of public works projects workers
A number of non-controversial amendments
Permission for the State Legislature to fund transportation to parochial schools[20]

text: 1967 Convention[edit]

text: In the 1960s, with the increasing changes and expansions of populations with the changing society, demand grew for a new Constitution. Thus, in 1965, the State Legislature put the question to the voters on the holding of a constitutional convention in 1967. The voters approved. A committee was established to gather information for the Convention. In 1966, 186 people were elected to become members in the 9th Constitutional Convention. Unlike all the other Conventions, the candidates for membership ran in partisan elections, of which the Democrats won a majority.[21] The Convention was chaired by Anthony Travia, the Speaker of the State Assembly.

text: Proposed changes included:

text:
Expansion of individual citizens' rights
Repealing of the 19th Century James G. Blaine Amendment, which prohibited the State from funding parochial schools
State takeover of costs for the court system, and the administration of welfare programs
Allowing the legislature to incur debt without referendum
The addition of a "statute of restrictions", or "two-part constitution", whereby a short Constitution would be enacted, and other provisions would be placed in a separate document that differed from normal statute as it took two years to amend.[22]

text: The proposed changes were bundled into one document, and were met with stiff opposition. Thus, in November 1967, the voters rejected the new Constitution, with no county voting in favor.[23][24]

text: Amending the Constitution[edit]

text: The current New York State Constitution of 1894/1938 can be amended in two main ways:

text:
By a proposal of an amendment in the Legislature, subject to voter approval, or
Through a Convention, also subject to voter approval, which can be called in one of two ways:

text:
By proposal of the Legislature, subject to voter approval
Through the automatic referendum every twenty years

text: Any legislative proposal must be approved by two successive Legislatures before being submitted for voter approval. If a convention is called, fifteen at-large members and three members per Senate district will be elected. These members will be compensated on the level of an Assembly member. The Convention will meet continuously in the Capitol until they conclude their work from the first Tuesday of April following their election.

text: Whether or not a limited-call convention dealing with specific issues is constitutional or not remains unclear. Proponents argue that because the Constitution is a limiting, and not a granting, document, then it is. They point to the fact that the 1801 Convention was a limited-call one. Opponents argue that because the Constitution does not expressly provide for such a Convention, any such convention would be unconstitutional.[25]


document_title: Ceres (dwarf planet)

question_text: how long does it take ceres to orbit the sun

root

text: Ceres (dwarf planet)

text: History

text: Discovery

text: Johann Elert Bode, in 1772, first suggested that an undiscovered planet could exist between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.[41] Kepler had already noticed the gap between Mars and Jupiter in 1596.[41] Bode based his idea on the Titius–Bode law which is a now-discredited hypothesis that was first proposed in 1766. Bode observed that there was a regular pattern in the semi-major axes of the orbits of known planets, and that the pattern was marred only by the large gap between Mars and Jupiter.[41][42] The pattern predicted that the missing planet ought to have an orbit with a semi-major axis near 2.8 astronomical units (AU).[42] William Herschel's discovery of Uranus in 1781[41] near the predicted distance for the next body beyond Saturn increased faith in the law of Titius and Bode, and in 1800, a group headed by Franz Xaver von Zach, editor of the Monatliche Correspondenz, sent requests to twenty-four experienced astronomers (whom he dubbed the "celestial police"), asking that they combine their efforts and begin a methodical search for the expected planet.[41][42] Although they did not discover Ceres, they later found several large asteroids.[42]

tag: p

text: One of the astronomers selected for the search was Giuseppe Piazzi, a Catholic priest at the Academy of Palermo, Sicily. Before receiving his invitation to join the group, Piazzi discovered Ceres on 1 January 1801.[43][44] He was searching for "the 87th [star] of the Catalogue of the Zodiacal stars of Mr la Caille", but found that "it was preceded by another".[41] Instead of a star, Piazzi had found a moving star-like object, which he first thought was a comet.[45] Piazzi observed Ceres a total of 24 times, the final time on 11 February 1801, when illness interrupted his observations. He announced his discovery on 24 January 1801 in letters to only two fellow astronomers, his compatriot Barnaba Oriani of Milan and Bode of Berlin.[46] He reported it as a comet but "since its movement is so slow and rather uniform, it has occurred to me several times that it might be something better than a comet".[41] In April, Piazzi sent his complete observations to Oriani, Bode, and Jérôme Lalande in Paris. The information was published in the September 1801 issue of the Monatliche Correspondenz.[45]

text: By this time, the apparent position of Ceres had changed (mostly due to Earth's orbital motion), and was too close to the Sun's glare for other astronomers to confirm Piazzi's observations. Toward the end of the year, Ceres should have been visible again, but after such a long time it was difficult to predict its exact position. To recover Ceres, Carl Friedrich Gauss, then 24 years old, developed an efficient method of orbit determination.[45] In only a few weeks, he predicted the path of Ceres and sent his results to von Zach. On 31 December 1801, von Zach and Heinrich W. M. Olbers found Ceres near the predicted position and thus recovered it.[45]

text: The early observers were only able to calculate the size of Ceres to within an order of magnitude. Herschel underestimated its diameter as 260 km in 1802, whereas in 1811 Johann Hieronymus Schröter overestimated it as 2,613 km.[47][48]

text: Name

text: Piazzi originally suggested the name Cerere Ferdinandea for his discovery, after the goddess Ceres (Roman goddess of agriculture, Cerere in Italian, who was believed to have originated in Sicily and whose oldest temple was there) and King Ferdinand of Sicily.[41][45] "Ferdinandea", however, was not acceptable to other nations and was dropped. Ceres was called Hera for a short time in Germany.[49] In Greece, it is called Demeter (Δήμητρα), after the Greek equivalent of the Roman Cerēs;[d] in English, that name is used for the asteroid 1108 Demeter.

text: The regular adjectival forms of the name are Cererian and Cererean,[50] derived from the Latin genitive Cereris,[2] but Ceresian is occasionally seen for the goddess (as in the sickle-shaped Ceresian Lake), as is the shorter form Cerean.

text: The old astronomical symbol of Ceres is a sickle, ⟨⚳⟩ (),[51] similar to Venus' symbol ⟨♀⟩ but with a break in the circle. It has a variant ⟨  ⟩, reversed under the influence of the initial letter 'C' of 'Ceres'. These were later replaced with the generic asteroid symbol of a numbered disk, ⟨①⟩.[45][52]

text: Cerium, a rare-earth element discovered in 1803, was named after Ceres.[53][e] In the same year another element was also initially named after Ceres, but when cerium was named, its discoverer changed the name to palladium, after the second asteroid, 2 Pallas.[55]

text: Classification

text: The categorization of Ceres has changed more than once and has been the subject of some disagreement. Johann Elert Bode believed Ceres to be the "missing planet" he had proposed to exist between Mars and Jupiter, at a distance of 419 million km (2.8 AU) from the Sun.[41] Ceres was assigned a planetary symbol, and remained listed as a planet in astronomy books and tables (along with 2 Pallas, 3 Juno, and 4 Vesta) for half a century.[41][45][56]

text: As other objects were discovered in the neighborhood of Ceres, it was realized that Ceres represented the first of a new class of objects.[41] In 1802, with the discovery of 2 Pallas, William Herschel coined the term asteroid ("star-like") for these bodies,[56] writing that "they resemble small stars so much as hardly to be distinguished from them, even by very good telescopes".[57] As the first such body to be discovered, Ceres was given the designation 1 Ceres under the modern system of minor-planet designations. By the 1860s, the existence of a fundamental difference between asteroids such as Ceres and the major planets was widely accepted, though a precise definition of "planet" was never formulated.[56]

text: The 2006 debate surrounding Pluto and what constitutes a planet led to Ceres being considered for reclassification as a planet.[58][59] A proposal before the International Astronomical Union for the definition of a planet would have defined a planet as "a celestial body that (a) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid-body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (b) is in orbit around a star, and is neither a star nor a satellite of a planet".[60] Had this resolution been adopted, it would have made Ceres the fifth planet in order from the Sun.[61] This never happened, however, and on 24 August 2006 a modified definition was adopted, carrying the additional requirement that a planet must have "cleared the neighborhood around its orbit". By this definition, Ceres is not a planet because it does not dominate its orbit, sharing it as it does with the thousands of other asteroids in the asteroid belt and constituting only about a third of the mass of the belt. Bodies that met the first proposed definition but not the second, such as Ceres, were instead classified as dwarf planets.

text: Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt.[13] It is sometimes assumed that Ceres has been reclassified as a dwarf planet, and that it is therefore no longer considered an asteroid. For example, a news update at Space.com spoke of "Pallas, the largest asteroid, and Ceres, the dwarf planet formerly classified as an asteroid",[62] whereas an IAU question-and-answer posting states, "Ceres is (or now we can say it was) the largest asteroid", though it then speaks of "other asteroids" crossing Ceres' path and otherwise implies that Ceres is still considered an asteroid.[63] The Minor Planet Center notes that such bodies may have dual designations.[64] The 2006 IAU decision that classified Ceres as a dwarf planet never addressed whether it is or is not an asteroid. Indeed, the IAU has never defined the word 'asteroid' at all, having preferred the term 'minor planet' until 2006, and preferring the terms 'small Solar System body' and 'dwarf planet' after 2006. Lang (2011) comments "the [IAU has] added a new designation to Ceres, classifying it as a dwarf planet. ... By [its] definition, Eris, Haumea, Makemake and Pluto, as well as the largest asteroid, 1 Ceres, are all dwarf planets", and describes it elsewhere as "the dwarf planet–asteroid 1 Ceres".[65] NASA continues to refer to Ceres as an asteroid,[66] as do various academic textbooks.[67][68]

text: Orbit

text:
Proper (long-term mean) orbital elements compared to osculating (instant) orbital elements for Ceres:

Element
type
a
(in AU)
e
i
Period
(in days)

Proper[5]
2.7671
0.116198
9.647435
1,681.60

Osculating[4]
(Epoch 23 July 2010 )
2.7653
0.079138
10.586821
1,679.66

Difference
0.0018
0.03706
0.939386
1.94

tag: table

text: Ceres follows an orbit between Mars and Jupiter, within the asteroid belt, with a period of 4.6 Earth years.[4] The orbit is moderately inclined (i = 10.6° compared to 7° for Mercury and 17° for Pluto) and moderately eccentric (e = 0.08 compared to 0.09 for Mars).[4]

text: The diagram illustrates the orbits of Ceres (blue) and several planets (white and gray). The segments of orbits below the ecliptic are plotted in darker colors, and the orange plus sign is the Sun's location. The top left diagram is a polar view that shows the location of Ceres in the gap between Mars and Jupiter. The top right is a close-up demonstrating the locations of the perihelia (q) and aphelia (Q) of Ceres and Mars. In this diagram (but not in general), the perihelion of Mars is on the opposite side of the Sun from those of Ceres and several of the large main-belt asteroids, including 2 Pallas and 10 Hygiea. The bottom diagram is a side view showing the inclination of the orbit of Ceres compared to the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

text: Ceres was once thought to be a member of an asteroid family.[69] The asteroids of this family share similar proper orbital elements, which may indicate a common origin through an asteroid collision some time in the past. Ceres was later found to have spectral properties different from other members of the family, which is now called the Gefion family after the next-lowest-numbered family member, 1272 Gefion.[69] Ceres appears to be merely an interloper in the Gefion family, coincidentally having similar orbital elements but not a common origin.[70]

text: Resonances

text: Ceres is in a near-1:1 mean-motion orbital resonance with Pallas (their proper orbital periods differ by 0.2%).[71] However, a true resonance between the two would be unlikely; due to their small masses relative to their large separations, such relationships among asteroids are very rare.[72] Nevertheless, Ceres is able to capture other asteroids into temporary 1:1 resonant orbital relationships (making them temporary trojans) for periods up to 2 million years or more; fifty such objects have been identified.[73]

text: Transits of planets from Ceres

text: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars can all appear to cross the Sun, or transit it, from a vantage point on Ceres. The most common transits are those of Mercury, which usually happen every few years, most recently in 2006 and 2010. The most recent transit of Venus was in 1953, and the next will be in 2051; the corresponding dates are 1814 and 2081 for transits of Earth, and 767 and 2684 for transits of Mars.[74]

text: Rotation and axial tilt

text: The rotation period of Ceres (the Cererian day) is 9 hours and 4 minutes.[75] It has an axial tilt of 4°. This is small enough for Ceres's polar regions to contain permanently shadowed craters that are expected to act as cold traps and accumulate water ice over time, similar to the situation on the Moon and Mercury. About 0.14% of water molecules released from the surface are expected to end up in the traps, hopping an average of 3 times before escaping or being trapped.[76]

text: Geology

text: Ceres has a mass of 7020939000000000000♠9.39×1020 kg as determined from the Dawn spacecraft.[77] With this mass Ceres composes approximately a third of the estimated total 3.0 ± 0.2×1021 kg mass of the asteroid belt,[78] which is in turn approximately 4% of the mass of the Moon. Ceres is massive enough to give it a nearly spherical, equilibrium shape.[79] Among Solar System bodies, Ceres is intermediate in size between the smaller Vesta and the larger Tethys. Its surface area is approximately the same as the land area of India or Argentina.[80]

text: Surface

text: The surface composition of Ceres is broadly similar to that of C-type asteroids.[13] Some differences do exist. The ubiquitous features in Ceres' IR spectrum are those of hydrated materials, which indicate the presence of significant amounts of water in its interior. Other possible surface constituents include iron-rich clay minerals (cronstedtite) and carbonate minerals (dolomite and siderite), which are common minerals in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites.[13] The spectral features of carbonates and clay minerals are usually absent in the spectra of other C-type asteroids.[13] Sometimes Ceres is classified as a G-type asteroid.[81]

text: Ceres' surface is relatively warm. The maximum temperature with the Sun overhead was estimated from measurements to be 235 K (approximately −38 °C, −36 °F) on 5 May 1991.[17] Ice is unstable at this temperature. Material left behind by the sublimation of surface ice could explain the dark surface of Ceres compared to the icy moons of the outer Solar System.

text: Studies by the Hubble Space Telescope reveal that graphite, sulfur, and sulfur dioxide are present on Ceres's surface. The former is evidently the result of space weathering on Ceres's older surfaces; the latter two are volatile under Cerean conditions and would be expected to either escape quickly or settle in cold traps, and are evidently associated with areas with recent geological activity.[82]

text: Observations prior to Dawn

text: Prior to the Dawn mission, only a few surface features had been unambiguously detected on Ceres. High-resolution ultraviolet Hubble Space Telescope images taken in 1995 showed a dark spot on its surface, which was nicknamed "Piazzi" in honor of the discoverer of Ceres.[81] This was thought to be a crater. Later near-infrared images with a higher resolution taken over a whole rotation with the Keck telescope using adaptive optics showed several bright and dark features moving with Ceres' rotation.[83][84] Two dark features had circular shapes and were presumed to be craters; one of them was observed to have a bright central region, whereas another was identified as the "Piazzi" feature.[83][84] Visible-light Hubble Space Telescope images of a full rotation taken in 2003 and 2004 showed eleven recognizable surface features, the natures of which were then undetermined.[12][85] One of these features corresponds to the "Piazzi" feature observed earlier.[12]

text: These last observations indicated that the north pole of Ceres pointed in the direction of right ascension 19 h 24 min (291°), declination +59°, in the constellation Draco, resulting in an axial tilt of approximately 3°.[12][79] Dawn later determined that the north polar axis actually points at right ascension 19 h 25 m 40.3 s (291.418°), declination +66° 45' 50" (about 1.5 degrees from Delta Draconis), which means an axial tilt of 4°.[6]

text: Observations by Dawn

text: Dawn revealed that Ceres has a heavily cratered surface; nevertheless, Ceres does not have as many large craters as expected, likely due to past geological processes.[86][87] An unexpectedly large number of Cererian craters have central pits, perhaps due to cryovolcanic processes, and many have central peaks.[88] Ceres has one prominent mountain, Ahuna Mons; this peak appears to be a cryovolcano and has few craters, suggesting a maximum age of no more than a few hundred million years.[89][90] A later computer simulation has suggested that there were originally other cryovolcanoes on Ceres that are now unrecognisable due to viscous relaxation.[91] Several bright spots have been observed by Dawn, the brightest spot ("Spot 5") located in the middle of an 80-kilometer (50 mi) crater called Occator.[92] From images taken of Ceres on 4 May 2015, the secondary bright spot was revealed to actually be a group of scattered bright areas, possibly as many as ten. These bright features have an albedo of approximately 40%[93] that are caused by a substance on the surface, possibly ice or salts, reflecting sunlight.[94][95] A haze periodically appears above Spot 5, the best known bright spot, supporting the hypothesis that some sort of outgassing or sublimating ice formed the bright spots.[95][96] In March 2016, Dawn found definitive evidence of water molecules on the surface of Ceres at Oxo crater.[97][98] JPL states: "This water could be bound up in minerals or, alternatively, it could take the form of ice."

text: On 9 December 2015, NASA scientists reported that the bright spots on Ceres may be related to a type of salt, particularly a form of brine containing magnesium sulfate hexahydrite (MgSO4·6H2O); the spots were also found to be associated with ammonia-rich clays.[35] Another team thinks the salts are sodium carbonate.[37][38]

text:
Bright spots on Ceres in visible and infrared:
"Spot 1" (top row) ("cooler" than surroundings);
"Spot 5" (bottom) ("similar in temperature" as surroundings) (April 2015)

text: Internal structure

text: Ceres' oblateness is consistent with a differentiated body, a rocky core overlain with an icy mantle.[79] This 100-kilometer-thick mantle (23%–28% of Ceres by mass; 50% by volume)[100] contains up to 200 million cubic kilometers of water, which would be more than the amount of fresh water on Earth.[101] This result is supported by the observations made by the Keck telescope in 2002 and by evolutionary modeling.[20][83] Also, some characteristics of its surface and history (such as its distance from the Sun, which weakened solar radiation enough to allow some fairly low-freezing-point components to be incorporated during its formation), point to the presence of volatile materials in the interior of Ceres.[83] It has been suggested that a remnant layer of liquid water may have survived to the present under a layer of ice.[20][21]

text: Shape and gravity field measurements by Dawn confirm Ceres is a body in hydrostatic equilibrium with partial differentiation[8][102] and isostatic compensation, with a mean moment of inertia of 0.37 (which is similar to that of Callisto at ~0.36).[9] The densities of the core and outer layer are estimated to be 2.46–2.90 and 1.68–1.95 g/cm3, with the latter being about 70–190 km thick. Only partial dehydration of the core is expected. The high density of the outer layer (relative to water ice) reflects its enrichment in silicates and salts.[9] Ceres is the smallest object confirmed to be in hydrostatic equilibrium, being 600 km smaller and less than half the mass of Saturn's moon Rhea, the next smallest such object.[103] Modeling has suggested Ceres could have a small metallic core from partial differentiation of its rocky fraction.[104]

text: Atmosphere

text: There are indications that Ceres has a tenuous water vapor atmosphere outgassing from water ice on the surface.[105][106][107]

text: Surface water ice is unstable at distances less than 5 AU from the Sun,[108] so it is expected to sublime if it is exposed directly to solar radiation. Water ice can migrate from the deep layers of Ceres to the surface, but escapes in a very short time. As a result, it is difficult to detect water vaporization. Water escaping from polar regions of Ceres was possibly observed in the early 1990s but this has not been unambiguously demonstrated. It may be possible to detect escaping water from the surroundings of a fresh impact crater or from cracks in the subsurface layers of Ceres.[83] Ultraviolet observations by the IUE spacecraft detected statistically significant amounts of hydroxide ions near Ceres' north pole, which is a product of water vapor dissociation by ultraviolet solar radiation.[105]

text: In early 2014, using data from the Herschel Space Observatory, it was discovered that there are several localized (not more than 60 km in diameter) mid-latitude sources of water vapor on Ceres, which each give off approximately 7026100000000000000♠1026 molecules (or 3 kg) of water per second.[109][110][f] Two potential source regions, designated Piazzi (123°E, 21°N) and Region A (231°E, 23°N), have been visualized in the near infrared as dark areas (Region A also has a bright center) by the W. M. Keck Observatory. Possible mechanisms for the vapor release are sublimation from approximately 0.6 km2 of exposed surface ice, or cryovolcanic eruptions resulting from radiogenic internal heat[109] or from pressurization of a subsurface ocean due to growth of an overlying layer of ice.[21] Surface sublimation would be expected to be lower when Ceres is farther from the Sun in its orbit, whereas internally powered emissions should not be affected by its orbital position. The limited data available was more consistent with cometary-style sublimation;[109] however, subsequent evidence from Dawn strongly suggests ongoing geologic activity could be at least partially responsible.[113][114]

text: Studies using Dawn's gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) reveal that Ceres is accelerating electrons from the solar wind regularly; although there are several possibilities as to what is causing this, the most accepted is that these electrons are being accelerated by collisions between the solar wind and a tenuous water vapor exosphere.[115]

text: In 2017, Dawn confirmed that Ceres has a transient atmosphere that appears to be linked to solar activity. Ice on Ceres can sublimate when energetic particles from the Sun hit exposed ice within craters.[116]

text: Origin and evolution

text: Ceres is possibly a surviving protoplanet (planetary embryo), which formed 4.57 billion years ago in the asteroid belt.[20] Although the majority of inner Solar System protoplanets (including all lunar- to Mars-sized bodies) either merged with other protoplanets to form terrestrial planets or were ejected from the Solar System by Jupiter,[117] Ceres is thought to have survived relatively intact.[20] An alternative theory proposes that Ceres formed in the Kuiper belt and later migrated to the asteroid belt.[118] The discovery of ammonia salts in Occator crater supports an origin in the outer Solar System.[119] Another possible protoplanet, Vesta, is less than half the size of Ceres; it suffered a major impact after solidifying, losing ~1% of its mass.[120]

text: The geological evolution of Ceres was dependent on the heat sources available during and after its formation: friction from planetesimal accretion, and decay of various radionuclides (possibly including short-lived extinct radionuclides such as aluminium-26). These are thought to have been sufficient to allow Ceres to differentiate into a rocky core and icy mantle soon after its formation.[12][20] This process may have caused resurfacing by water volcanism and tectonics, erasing older geological features.[20] Ceres's relatively warm surface temperature implies that any of the resulting ice on its surface would have gradually sublimated, leaving behind various hydrated minerals like clay minerals and carbonates.[13]

text: Today, Ceres has become considerably less geologically active, with a surface sculpted chiefly by impacts;[12] nevertheless, evidence from Dawn reveals that internal processes have continued to sculpt Ceres's surface to a significant extent, in stark contrast to Vesta[121] and of previous expectations that Ceres would have become geologically dead early in its history due to its small size.[20][122] The presence of significant amounts of water ice in its composition[79] and evidence of recent geological resurfacing, raises the possibility that Ceres has a layer of liquid water in its interior.[20][122] This hypothetical layer is often called an ocean.[13] If such a layer of liquid water exists, it is hypothesized to be located between the rocky core and ice mantle like that of the theorized ocean on Europa.[20] The existence of an ocean is more likely if solutes (i.e. salts), ammonia, sulfuric acid or other antifreeze compounds are dissolved in the water.[20]

text: Potential habitability

text: Although not as actively discussed as a potential home for microbial extraterrestrial life as Mars, Titan, Europa or Enceladus, there is evidence that Ceres' icy mantle was once a watery subterranean ocean, and that has led to speculations that life could have existed there,[123][124][125][126] and that hypothesized ejecta bearing microorganisms could have come from Ceres to Earth.[127][128]

text: Observation and exploration

text: Observation

text: When Ceres has an opposition near the perihelion, it can reach a visual magnitude of +6.7.[14] This is generally regarded as too dim to be seen with the naked eye, but under exceptional viewing conditions a very sharp-sighted person may be able to see it. The only other asteroids that can reach a similarly bright magnitude are 4 Vesta, and, during rare oppositions near perihelion, 2 Pallas and 7 Iris.[130] At a conjunction Ceres has a magnitude of around +9.3, which corresponds to the faintest objects visible with 10×50 binoculars. It can thus be seen with binoculars whenever it is above the horizon of a fully dark sky.

text: Some notable observations and milestones for Ceres include:

text:
1984 November 13: An occultation of a star by Ceres observed in Mexico, Florida and across the Caribbean.[131]
1995 June 25: Ultraviolet Hubble Space Telescope images with 50-kilometer resolution.[81][132]
2002: Infrared images with 30-km resolution taken with the Keck telescope using adaptive optics.[84]
2003 and 2004: Visible light images with 30-km resolution (the best prior to the Dawn mission) taken using Hubble.[12][85]
2012 December 22: Ceres occulted the star TYC 1865-00446-1 over parts of Japan, Russia, and China.[133] Ceres' brightness was magnitude 6.9 and the star, 12.2.[133]
2014: Ceres was found to have an atmosphere with water vapor, confirmed by the Herschel space telescope.[134]
2015: The NASA Dawn spacecraft approached and orbited Ceres, sending detailed images and scientific data back to Earth.

tag: ul

text: Exploration

text: In 1981, a proposal for an asteroid mission was submitted to the European Space Agency (ESA). Named the Asteroidal Gravity Optical and Radar Analysis (AGORA), this spacecraft was to launch some time in 1990–1994 and perform two flybys of large asteroids. The preferred target for this mission was Vesta. AGORA would reach the asteroid belt either by a gravitational slingshot trajectory past Mars or by means of a small ion engine. However, the proposal was refused by ESA. A joint NASA–ESA asteroid mission was then drawn up for a Multiple Asteroid Orbiter with Solar Electric Propulsion (MAOSEP), with one of the mission profiles including an orbit of Vesta. NASA indicated they were not interested in an asteroid mission. Instead, ESA set up a technological study of a spacecraft with an ion drive. Other missions to the asteroid belt were proposed in the 1980s by France, Germany, Italy, and the United States, but none were approved.[135] Exploration of Ceres by fly-by and impacting penetrator was the second main target of the second plan of the multiaimed Soviet Vesta mission, developed in cooperation with European countries for realisation in 1991–1994 but canceled due to the Soviet Union disbanding.

text: In the early 1990s, NASA initiated the Discovery Program, which was intended to be a series of low-cost scientific missions. In 1996, the program's study team recommended as a high priority a mission to explore the asteroid belt using a spacecraft with an ion engine. Funding for this program remained problematic for several years, but by 2004 the Dawn vehicle had passed its critical design review.[136]

text: It was launched on 27 September 2007, as the space mission to make the first visits to both Vesta and Ceres. On 3 May 2011, Dawn acquired its first targeting image 1.2 million kilometers from Vesta.[137] After orbiting Vesta for 13 months, Dawn used its ion engine to depart for Ceres, with gravitational capture occurring on 6 March 2015[138] at a separation of 61,000 km,[139] four months prior to the New Horizons flyby of Pluto.

text: Dawn's mission profile calls for it to study Ceres from a series of circular polar orbits at successively lower altitudes. It entered its first observational orbit ("RC3") around Ceres at an altitude of 13,500 km on 23 April 2015, staying for only approximately one orbit (fifteen days).[25][140] The spacecraft will subsequently reduce its orbital distance to 4,400 km for its second observational orbit ("survey") for three weeks,[141] then down to 1,470 km ("HAMO;" high altitude mapping orbit) for two months[142] and then down to its final orbit at 375 km ("LAMO;" low altitude mapping orbit) for at least three months.[143] The spacecraft instrumentation includes a framing camera, a visual and infrared spectrometer, and a gamma-ray and neutron detector. These instruments will examine Ceres' shape and elemental composition.[144] On 13 January 2015, Dawn took the first images of Ceres at near-Hubble resolution, revealing impact craters and a small high-albedo spot on the surface, near the same location as that observed previously. Additional imaging sessions, at increasingly better resolution took place on 25 January, 4, 12, 19, and 25 February, 1 March, and 10 and 15 April.[145]

text: Dawn's arrival in a stable orbit around Ceres was delayed after, close to reaching Ceres, it was hit by a cosmic ray, making it take another, longer route around Ceres in back, instead of a direct spiral towards it.[146]

text: The Chinese Space Agency is designing a sample retrieval mission from Ceres that would take place during the 2020s.[147]

text: Maps

text:
Map of Ceres (red=IR-bright;green=high albedo areas;blue=UV-bright) (September 2015)

Map of Ceres (centered on 180° longitude; color; March 2015)

Map of Ceres (Mercator; HAMO; color; March 2016)

Map of Ceres (Elliptical; HAMO; color; March 2016)

Black-and-white photographic map of Ceres, centered on 0° longitude, with official nomenclature (August 2015)

Topographic map of Ceres (September 2016).
15 km (10 mi) of elevation separate the lowest crater floors (indigo) from the highest peaks (white).[148]

Hemispheric topographic maps of Ceres, centered on 60° and 240° east longitude (July 2015).

Ceres, polar regions (November 2015): North (left); south (right).

text: Map of quadrangles

text: The following imagemap of the dwarf planet Ceres is divided into 15 quadrangles. They are named after the first craters whose names the IAU approved in July 2015.[149] The map image(s) were taken by the Dawn space probe.

text: Gallery

text: Ceres in half shadow from 40,000 km (25 February 2015)

text: Dawn Ceres mosaic – 19 February 2015

text:
2004
Hubble Space Telescope

14 April 2015; Dawn
22,000 km (14,000 mi)

6 May 2015; Dawn
13,600 km (8,500 mi)

16 May 2015; Dawn
7,500 km (4,700 mi)
(1;2;3)

22 May 2015; Dawn
5,100 km (3,200 mi)
(1;2;3;4;5) (Ezinu crater: context;closeup)

text:
Mapping orbits and resolution[152] – Photos of Ceres by Dawn on Commons

Orbit phase
No.
Dates[153]
Altitude
(km; mi)
Orbital period
Resolution
(km/px)
Improvement
over Hubble
Notes

RC3
1st
23 April 2015 – 9 May 2015
13,500 km (8,400 mi)
15 days
1.3
24×

Survey
2nd
6 June 2015 – 30 June 2015
4,400 km (2,700 mi)
3.1 days
0.41
73×

HAMO
3rd
17 August 2015 – 23 October 2015
1,450 km (900 mi)
19 hours
0.14 (140 m)
217×

LAMO/XMO1
4th
16 December 2015 – 2 September 2016
375 km (233 mi)
5.5 hours
0.035 (35 m)
850×

XMO2
5th
5 October 2016 – 4 November 2016
1,480 km (920 mi)
19 hours
0.14 (140 m)
217×
[154][155][156]

XMO3
6th
5 December 2016 –
7,520–9,350 km
(4,670–5,810 mi)
≈8 days
0.9 (est)
34× (est)
[155]

text:
23 April 2015; Dawn
1st Map Orbit - RC3
13,600 km (8,500 mi)
(1;2;3;4;5;6;7;8;9;10;11;12;13;14;15;16;17;18;19;20;21;22;23;24) (3D: 1;5;6;7) (animation)

6 June 2015: Dawn
2nd Map Orbit - SRVY
4,400 km (2,700 mi)
(1;2;3;4;5;6;7;8;9;10;11;12;13;14;15;16;17;18;19;20;21;22;23;24;25;26;27;28;29;30;31;32;33;34;35;36;37;38;39;40;41;42;43;44;45;46;47;48;49;50;51;52;53;54)

17 August 2015: Dawn
3rd Map Orbit - HAMO
1,470 km (910 mi)
(1;2;3;4;5;6;7;8;9;10;11;12;13;14;15;16;17;18;19;20;21;22;23;24;25;26;27;28;29;30;31;32;33;34;35;36;37;38;39;40;41;42;43;44;45;46;47;48;49;50;51;52;53;54;55;56;57;58;59;60;61;62;63;64;65;66;67;68;69;70;71;72;73;74;75;76;77;78;79;80;81;82;83;84;85;86;87;88;89)

10 Dec 2015: Dawn
4th Map Orbit - LAMOa
385 km (239 mi)
(a;b;c;d;e;1;2;3;4;5;6;7;8;9;10;11;12;13;14;15;16;17;18;19;20;21;22;23;24;25;26;27;28;29;30;31;32;33;34;35;36;37;38;39;40;m1;m2;m3;41;42;43;44;45;46;47;48;49;50;51;52;53;54;55;56;57;58;59;60;61;62;63;64;65;66;67;68;69;70;71;72;73;74;75;76;77;78;79;80;81;82;83)

10 Dec 2015: Dawn
4th Map Orbit - LAMOb
385 km (239 mi)
(84;85;86;87;88;89;90;91;92;93;94;95;96;97;98;99;100;101;102;103;104;105;106;107;108;109;110;111;112;113;114;115;116;117;118;119;120;121;122;123;124;125;126;127;128;129;130;131;132;133;134;135;136;137;138;139;140;141;142;143;144;145;146;147;148;149)

10 Dec 2015: Dawn
4th Map Orbit - LAMOc
385 km (239 mi)
(150;151;152;153;154;155;156;157;158;159;160;161;162;163;164;165;166;167;168;169;170;171;172;173;174;175;176;177;178;179;180;181;182;183;184;185;186;187;188;189;190;191;192;193;194;195;196;197;198;199;200;201;202;203;204;205;206;207 – end)

text: True-color images

text: Animations

text:
4 February 2015; Dawn
90,000 km (56,000 mi)

29 April 2017: Dawn
20,000 km (12,000 mi)

4 May 2015; Dawn
13,600 km (8,500 mi)

4 May 2015; Dawn
13,600 km (8,500 mi)
bright spots


document_title: The World's Billionaires

question_text: who's the highest paid person in the world

question_tokens: who 's the highest paid person in the world

text: The World's Billionaires

text: Methodology

text: Each year, Forbes employs a team of more than 50 reporters from a variety of countries to track the activity of the world's wealthiest individuals.[11] Preliminary surveys are sent to those who may qualify for the list. According to Forbes, they received three types of responses – some people try to inflate their wealth, others cooperate but leave out details, and some refuse to answer any questions.[12] Business deals are then scrutinized and estimates of valuable assets – land, homes, vehicles, artwork, etc. – are made. Interviews are conducted to vet the figures and improve the estimate of an individual's holdings. Finally, positions in a publicly traded stock are priced to market on a date roughly a month before publication. Privately held companies are priced by the prevailing price-to-sales or price-to-earnings ratios. Known debt is subtracted from assets to get a final estimate of an individual's estimated worth in United States dollars. Since stock prices fluctuate rapidly, an individual's true wealth and ranking at the time of publication may vary from their situation when the list was compiled.[11]

text: Family fortunes dispersed over a large number of relatives are included only if those individuals' holdings are worth more than a billion dollars. However, when a living individual has dispersed his or her wealth to immediate family members, it is included under a single listing provided that individual is still living.[11] Royal familys and dictators that have their wealth contingent on a position are always excluded from these lists.[13]

text: Annual rankings

text: The rankings are published annually in March, so the net worth listed are snapshots taken at that time. These lists only show the top 10 wealthiest billionaires.

text: On the 30th anniversary of the Forbes' list of the world's billionaires, for the fourth year in a row, Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world.[2] The number of billionaires increased 13% to 2,043 from 1,810 in 2016; this is the biggest change in over 30 years of tracking billionaires globally.[2] This is the first time after 12 years that Carlos Slim was not within the top five. The U.S. continues to have the most billionaires in the world, with a record of 565. China has 319 (not including Hong Kong or Macau), Germany has 114, and India has the fourth most with 101; India has reached over 100 billionaires for its first time.

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$86.0 billion
61
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$75.6 billion
86
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000300000000000000♠3
Bezos, JeffJeff Bezos
$72.8 billion
53
 United States
Amazon.com

7000400000000000000♠4
Ortega, AmancioAmancio Ortega
$71.3 billion
80
 Spain
Inditex, Zara

7000500000000000000♠5
Zuckerberg, MarkMark Zuckerberg
$56.0 billion
32
 United States
Facebook

7000600000000000000♠6
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim
$54.5 billion
77
 Mexico
América Móvil, Grupo Carso

7000700000000000000♠7
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$52.2 billion
72
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000800000000000000♠8
Koch, CharlesCharles Koch
$48.3 billion
81
 United States
Koch Industries

7000800000000000000♠8
Koch, DavidDavid Koch
$48.3 billion
76
 United States
Koch Industries

7001100000000000000♠10
Bloomberg, MichaelMichael Bloomberg
$47.5 billion
75
 United States
Bloomberg L.P.

text: For the third year in a row, Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world by Forbes's 2016 list of the world's billionaires.[14] This is the 17th time that the founder of Microsoft has claimed the top spot. Amancio Ortega rose from last year's position of number four to second.[15] Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway came in third for the second consecutive time,[16] while Mexican telecommunication mogul Carlos Slim slipped down from last year's second position to fourth. Jeff Bezos of Amazon,[17] Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook[18] and Michael Bloomberg of Bloomberg L.P.,[19] appear for the first time on the Forbes top 10 billionaires list, coming at fifth, sixth and eighth position, respectively. Zuckerberg became the youngest top 10 billionaire this year at the age of 31. Larry Ellison, Charles Koch and David Koch also slipped down from their last year's positions, with Ellison dropping to seventh from fifth and the Kochs falling to ninth position from sixth, respectively.

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$75.0 billion
60
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Ortega, AmancioAmancio Ortega
$67.0 billion
79
 Spain
Inditex

7000300000000000000♠3
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$60.8 billion
85
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000400000000000000♠4
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim
$50.0 billion
76
 Mexico
América Móvil, Grupo Carso

7000500000000000000♠5
Bezos, JeffJeff Bezos
$45.2 billion
52
 United States
Amazon.com

7000600000000000000♠6
Zuckerberg, MarkMark Zuckerberg
$44.6 billion
31
 United States
Facebook

7000700000000000000♠7
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$43.6 billion
71
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000800000000000000♠8
Bloomberg, MichaelMichael Bloomberg
$40.0 billion
74
 United States
Bloomberg L.P.

7000900000000000000♠9
Koch, CharlesCharles Koch
$39.6 billion
80
 United States
Koch Industries

7000900000000000000♠9
Koch, DavidDavid Koch
$39.6 billion
75
 United States
Koch Industries

text: In the 29th annual Forbes list of global billionaires, a record 1,826 billionaires were named with an aggregated net worth of $7.1 trillion compared to $6.4 trillion last year. 46 of the billionaires in this list are under the age of 40. A record number of 290 people joined the list for the first time, of whom 25 percent hail from China, which produced a world-leading 71 newcomers. The United States came in second, with 57, followed by India, with 28, and Germany, with 23.[20] The United States has the largest number of billionaires with 526. Russia went down to 88 from 111 in 2014. Russia was placed behind China, Germany and India by the number of billionaires. Self-made billionaires made up the largest number of people on the list with 1,191 positions (over 65 percent) while just 230 (under 13 percent) have wealth through inheritance. The number of billionaires who inherited a portion but are still working to increase their fortunes is 405.[21]

text: Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world by Forbes's annual list of the world's billionaires. This was the 16th time that the founder of Microsoft claimed the top spot. Carlos Slim came in second for the second consecutive time. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway was placed third, while Amancio Ortega of Spain, slipped down a position from last year to number four. Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle rounded off the top five. Christy Walton was the highest-ranking female at number eight. America's Evan Spiegel, co-founder of photo messaging app Snapchat became the youngest billionaire this year at the age of 24. At age 99, David Rockefeller maintained his position as the oldest billionaire to be included in the list.[22] Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, rose to number 16 with $33.4 billion. Iceland had a billionaire, Thor Bjorgolfsson, in the list after a gap of five years. Guatemala had a billionaire, Mario Lopez Estrada, for the first time in its history.[23]

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$79.2 billion
59
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim
$77.1 billion
75
 Mexico
América Móvil, Telmex, Grupo Carso

7000300000000000000♠3
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$72.7 billion
84
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000400000000000000♠4
Ortega, AmancioAmancio Ortega
$64.5 billion
78
 Spain
Inditex

7000500000000000000♠5
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$54.3 billion
70
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000600000000000000♠6
Koch, CharlesCharles Koch
$42.9 billion
79
 United States
Koch Industries

7000600000000000000♠6
Koch, DavidDavid Koch
$42.9 billion
74
 United States
Koch Industries

7000800000000000000♠8
Walton, ChristyChristy Walton
$41.7 billion
60
 United States
Walmart

7000900000000000000♠9
Walton, JimJim Walton
$40.6 billion
66
 United States
Walmart

7001100000000000000♠10
Bettencourt, LilianeLiliane Bettencourt
$40.1 billion
92
 France
L'Oreal

text: Bill Gates added $9 billion to his fortune since 2013 and topped the Forbes 2014 billionaire list. He has topped the list 15 of the previous 20 years, but his previous number one ranking was in 2009.[24] Mexican telecommunication mogul Carlos Slim came in second place after being number one the previous four years. Zara founder Amancio Ortega placed third for the second consecutive year. American investor Warren Buffett was in the top five for the 20th consecutive year, placing fourth.[25] America's Christy Walton was the highest ranking woman, placing ninth overall.[1] Aliko Dangote of Nigeria became the first African ever to enter the top 25, with an estimated net worth of $25 billion.[3]

text: A total of 1,645 people made the 2014 billionaire list, representing combined wealth of $6.4 trillion.[25] Of those, a record 268 were newcomers, surpassing 2008's 226 newcomers.[1] One hundred people listed in 2013 failed to make the list.[25] The number of women on the list rose to a record 172 in 2014.[1] Approximately 66 percent of the list was self-made, 13 percent achieved their wealth through inheritance alone, and 21 percent through a mixture of the two.[3]

text: The United States had 492 billionaires on the list, the most of any country.[25] The country also had the most newcomers with 50, and women with 54.[1] China had the second most billionaires with 152, while Russia was third with 111.[25] Algeria, Lithuania, Tanzania, and Uganda were all represented on the list for the first time. Turkey saw the most people drop off the list, 19, due to a period of high inflation in the country.[3]

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$76.0 billion
58
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim & family
$72.0 billion
74
 Mexico
Telmex, América Móvil, Grupo Carso

7000300000000000000♠3
Ortega, AmancioAmancio Ortega
$64.0 billion
77
 Spain
Inditex

7000400000000000000♠4
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$58.2 billion
83
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000500000000000000♠5
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$48.0 billion
70
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000600000000000000♠6
Koch, CharlesCharles Koch
$40.0 billion
78
 United States
Koch Industries

7000600000000000000♠6
Koch, DavidDavid Koch
$40.0 billion
73
 United States
Koch Industries

7000800000000000000♠8
Adelson, SheldonSheldon Adelson
$38.0 billion
80
 United States
Las Vegas Sands

7000900000000000000♠9
Walton, ChristyChristy Walton & family
$36.7 billion
58–59
 United States
Walmart

7001100000000000000♠10
Walton, JimJim Walton
$34.7 billion
65
 United States
Walmart

text: Carlos Slim topped the 2013 billionaire list, marking his fourth consecutive year at the top. Bill Gates remained in second, while Amancio Ortega moved up to third. Ortega's gain of $19.5 billion was the largest of anyone on the list.[26] Warren Buffett failed to make the top three for the first time since 2000, placing fourth. Diesel founder Renzo Rosso was among the top newcomers, debuting with an estimate net worth of $3 billion.[27]

text: A global rise in asset prices, led Forbes editor Randall Lane to declare "It [was] a very good year to be a billionaire". However, it was not a good year to be Eike Batista who fell from seventh to 100th, suffering the largest net loss of anyone on the list.[26] Overall, net gainers outnumbered net losers by 4:1.[27]

text: A record total of 1,426 people made the 2013 list, representing $5.4 trillion of assets.[28] Of those, 442 billionaires hailed from the United States.[26] The Asian-Pacific region had 386 billionaires and Europe 366. The list also featured a record number of newcomers, 210, representing 42 different countries. Sixty people from the 2012 list fell below a billion dollar of assets in 2013 and eight others from the 2012 list died. The Asia-Pacific region had the most drop-offs, with 29, followed by the United States with 16. The 2013 list featured 138 women, of which 50 came from the United States. A majority of the list (961 individuals, 67 percent) was entirely self-made; 184 (13 percent) inherited their wealth, and 281 (20 percent) achieved their fortune through a combination of inheritance and business acumen.[28]

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim & family
$73.0 billion
73
 Mexico
Telmex, América Móvil, Grupo Carso

7000200000000000000♠2
Gates, BillBill Gates
$67.0 billion
57
 United States
Microsoft

7000300000000000000♠3
Ortega, AmancioAmancio Ortega
$57.0 billion
76
 Spain
Inditex Group

7000400000000000000♠4
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$53.5 billion
82
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000500000000000000♠5
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$43.0 billion
68
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000600000000000000♠6
Koch, CharlesCharles Koch
$34.0 billion
77
 United States
Koch Industries

7000600000000000000♠6
Koch, DavidDavid Koch
$34.0 billion
72
 United States
Koch Industries

7000800000000000000♠8
Ka-shing, LiLi Ka-shing
$31.0 billion
84
 Hong Kong
 Canada
Cheung Kong Holdings

7000900000000000000♠9
Bettencourt, LilianeLiliane Bettencourt & family
$30.0 billion
90
 France
L'Oréal

7001100000000000000♠10
Arnault, BernardBernard Arnault
$29.0 billion
63
 France
LVMH

text: Carlos Slim topped the 2012 list, marking this third consecutive year at the top. Bill Gates placed second, but narrowed the gap from 2011 as Slim's fortune fell $5 billion while Gates' rose $5 billion. Warren Buffett remained in third place. Bernard Arnault of France was the top-ranking European on the list, placing fourth.[29] Ricardo Salinas Pliego was the greatest gainer in terms of dollars, adding $9.2 billion to his fortune and moving up to number 37 overall.[29] Making her debut on the list at age 27, Spanx founder Sara Blakely became the youngest self-made female billionaire ever.[30] Colombia's Alejandro Santo Domingo was the highest-ranked newcomer, inheriting a $9.5 billion stake in Santo Domingo Group from his father.[29] India's Lakshmi Mittal was the largest loser as his fortune dropped from $31.1 billion to $20.7 billion as the price of steel maker ArcelorMittal fell sharply.[29] As a result, he failed to make the top 10 for the first time since 2004 and lost his title of richest Asian to Hong Kong’s Li Ka-shing.[31]

text: A record total of 1,226 people made the 2012 list, representing 58 different countries. Of those, 126 were newcomers to the list and 104 were women. The United States had the greatest number of billionaires with 425. Russia had 96 people on the list, while China had 95.[29] Georgia, Morocco, and Peru were newly represented on the list. Falling stock prices in Asia contributed to 117 former billionaires falling from the list worldwide. Twelve others listed in 2011 died. Overall, net gainers (460) barely outnumbered net losers (441).[31]

text: To coincide with the release of the 2012 list, Forbes announced a new "Billionaire Real-Time Ticker" updating the wealth of the world's top fifty billionaires in real time.[29]

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim & family
$69.0 billion
72
 Mexico
Telmex, América Móvil, Grupo Carso

7000200000000000000♠2
Gates, BillBill Gates
$61.0 billion
56
 United States
Microsoft

7000300000000000000♠3
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$44.0 billion
81
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000400000000000000♠4
Arnault, BernardBernard Arnault
$41.0 billion
63
 France
LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton

7000500000000000000♠5
Ortega, AmancioAmancio Ortega
$37.5 billion
75
 Spain
Inditex Group

7000600000000000000♠6
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$36.0 billion
67
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000700000000000000♠7
Batista, EikeEike Batista
$30.0 billion
55
 Brazil
EBX Group

7000800000000000000♠8
Stefan Persson
$26.0 billion
64
 Sweden
H&M

7000900000000000000♠9
Ka-shing, LiLi Ka-shing
$25.5 billion
83
 Hong Kong
 Canada
Cheung Kong Holdings

7001100000000000000♠10
Albrecht, KarlKarl Albrecht
$25.4 billion
92
 Germany
Aldi

text: In the 25th annual Forbes list of global billionaires, Carlos Slim added $20.5 billion to his fortune, the most of anyone, and retained his number one ranking with a total fortune of $74 billion. Bill Gates remained in second place with $56 billion, while Warren Buffett was third with $50 billion. The top 10 had a combined wealth of $406 billion, up from $342 billion in 2010.[32] According to Forbes editor Kerry Dolan, "media and technology billionaires definitely benefited from a stronger stock market and a growing enthusiasm for all things social" since the 2010 list.[33] However, Nigerian commodity mogul Aliko Dangote was the greatest gainer on a percentage basis as his fortune increased 557 percent to $13.5 billion. Mark Zuckerberg was one of seven Facebook-related billionaires on the list, as he $9.5 billion to his fortune to move up to 52nd. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz was the youngest person on the list. Aged 26, eight days younger than Zuckerberg, he debuted at number 420 with an estimated fortune of $2.7 billion. IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad was the largest loser as he saw his fortune plummet from $23 billion to $6 billion, dropping him from 11th to 162nd overall.[32]

text: A record 1,210 billionaires made the 2011 list, representing a combined wealth of $4.5 trillion, up from $3.6 trillion the previous year.[34] One third of the world's billionaires, 413, came from the United States. China had the second most billionaires with 115, while Russia was third with 101. Asia moved up to 332 billionaires, passing Europe as a region for the first time since the 1990s.[32] The 2011 list included 214 newcomers and the average net worth of those on it increased to $3.7 billion.[33]

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim & family
$74.0 billion
71
 Mexico
Telmex, América Móvil, Grupo Carso

7000200000000000000♠2
Gates, BillBill Gates
$56.0 billion
55
 United States
Microsoft

7000300000000000000♠3
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$50.0 billion
80
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000400000000000000♠4
Arnault, BernardBernard Arnault
$41.0 billion
62
 France
LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton

7000500000000000000♠5
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$39.5 billion
66
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000600000000000000♠6
Mittal, LakshmiLakshmi Mittal
$31.1 billion
60
 India
Arcelor Mittal

7000700000000000000♠7
Ortega, AmancioAmancio Ortega
$31.0 billion
74
 Spain
Inditex Group

7000800000000000000♠8
Batista, EikeEike Batista
$30.0 billion
53
 Brazil
EBX Group

7000900000000000000♠9
Ambani, MukeshMukesh Ambani
$27.0 billion
57
 India
Reliance Industries

7001100000000000000♠10
Walton, ChristyChristy Walton & family
$26.5 billion
55
 United States
Walmart

text: Carlos Slim narrowly eclipsed Bill Gates to top the billionaire list for the first time. Slim saw his estimated worth surge $18.5 billion to $53.5 billion as shares of America Movil rose 35 percent. Gates' estimated wealth rose $13 billion to $53 billion, placing him second. Warren Buffett was third with $47 billion.[35] Christy Walton was the highest-ranking woman, placing 12th overall, with an inherited fortune of $22.5 billion.[36] At age 25, Mark Zuckerberg continued to be the world's youngest self-made billionaire.[12] American Isaac Perlmutter was among the newcomers with an estimated fortune of $4 billion largely acquired in his sale of Marvel Entertainment to Disney.[35]

text: A total of 1,011 people made the 2010 list. The United States accounted for 403 billionaires, followed by China with 89 and Russia with 62.[36] It was the first time China, while including Hong Kong, placed second.[35] A total of 55 countries were represented on the 2010 list, including Finland and Pakistan which claimed their first billionaires.[36] Eighty-nine women made the list, but only 14 of them were self-made.[36] The combined net worth of the list was $3.6 trillion, up 50 percent from 2009's $2.4 trillion, while the average net worth was $3.5 billion.[12]

text: The 2010 list featured 164 re-entries and 97 true newcomers.[12] Asia accounted for more than 100 of the new entrants. Overall, just 12 percent of the list lost wealth since 2009, and 30 people fell off the list. Thirteen others died.[35] Of the 89 women, 12 were newcomers in 2010. Steve Forbes said the growing number of billionaires was clear sign that the world's economy was recovering from 2009's global financial crisis.[12]

text: In June 2010, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates announce The Giving Pledge that is a promise to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. As of 2017, the pledge has 158 signatories, but some of the signatories have since died. Most of the signers of the pledge are billionaires, and their pledges total to over $365 billion.[37]

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim & family
$53.5 billion
70
 Mexico
Telmex, América Móvil, Grupo Carso

7000200000000000000♠2
Gates, BillBill Gates
$53.0 billion
54
 United States
Microsoft

7000300000000000000♠3
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$47.0 billion
79
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000400000000000000♠4
Ambani, MukeshMukesh Ambani
$29.0 billion
53
 India
Reliance Industries

7000500000000000000♠5
Mittal, LakshmiLakshmi Mittal
$28.7 billion
60
 India
Arcelor Mittal

7000600000000000000♠6
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$28.0 billion
66
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000700000000000000♠7
Arnault, BernardBernard Arnault
$27.5 billion
61
 France
LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton

7000800000000000000♠8
Batista, EikeEike Batista
$27.0 billion
53
 Brazil
EBX Group

7000900000000000000♠9
Ortega, AmancioAmancio Ortega
$25.0 billion
74
 Spain
Inditex Group

7001100000000000000♠10
Albrecht, KarlKarl Albrecht
$23.5 billion
90
 Germany
Aldi Süd

text: In the wake of the Financial crisis of 2007–2008, the world's billionaires lose $2 trillion in net worth and the list becomes 30% smaller than the previous year's list.

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$40.0 billion
53
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$37.0 billion
78
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000300000000000000♠3
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim
$35.0 billion
69
 Mexico
Telmex, América Móvil

7000400000000000000♠4
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$22.5 billion
64
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000500000000000000♠5
Kamprad, IngvarIngvar Kamprad
$22.0 billion
83
 Sweden
IKEA

7000600000000000000♠6
Albrecht, KarlKarl Albrecht
$21.5 billion
89
 Germany
Aldi Süd

7000700000000000000♠7
Ambani, MukeshMukesh Ambani
$19.5 billion
57
 India
Reliance Industries

7000800000000000000♠8
Mittal, LakshmiLakshmi Mittal
$19.3 billion
58
 India
Arcelor Mittal

7000900000000000000♠9
Albrecht, TheoTheo Albrecht
$18.8 billion
87
 Germany
Aldi Nord, Trader Joe's

7001100000000000000♠10
Ortega, AmancioAmancio Ortega
$18.3 billion
73
 Spain
Inditex Group

text: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, four years after starting the company, joins the list at 23 to become the youngest self-made billionaire.

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$62.0 billion
77
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000200000000000000♠2
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim
$60.0 billion
68
 Mexico
Telmex, América Móvil

7000300000000000000♠3
Gates, BillBill Gates
$58.0 billion
52
 United States
Microsoft

7000400000000000000♠4
Mittal, LakshmiLakshmi Mittal
$45.0 billion
57
 India
Arcelor Mittal

7000500000000000000♠5
Ambani, MukeshMukesh Ambani
$43.0 billion
50
 India
Reliance Industries

7000600000000000000♠6
Ambani, AnilAnil Ambani
$42.0 billion
48
 India
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group

7000700000000000000♠7
Kamprad, IngvarIngvar Kamprad
$31.0 billion
81
 Sweden
IKEA

7000800000000000000♠8
Pal Singh, KushalKushal Pal Singh
$30.0 billion
76
 India
DLF Group

7000900000000000000♠9
Deripaska, OlegOleg Deripaska
$28.0 billion
40
 Russia
Rusal

7001100000000000000♠10
Albrecht, Karl Karl Albrecht
$27.0 billion
88
 Germany
Aldi Süd

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$56.0 billion
51
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$52.0 billion
76
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000300000000000000♠3
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim
$49.0 billion
67
 Mexico
Telmex, América Móvil, Grupo Carso

7000400000000000000♠4
Ingvar Kamprad
$33.0 billion
80
 Sweden
IKEA

7000500000000000000♠5
Mittal, LakshmiLakshmi Mittal
$32.0 billion
56
 India
Arcelor Mittal

7000600000000000000♠6
Adelson, SheldonSheldon Adelson
$26.5 billion
73
 United States
Las Vegas Sands

7000700000000000000♠7
Arnault, BernardBernard Arnault
$26.0 billion
58
 France
LVMH

7000800000000000000♠8
Ortega, AmancioAmancio Ortega
$24.0 billion
71
 Spain
Inditex Group

7000900000000000000♠9
Ka-shing, LiLi Ka-shing
$23.0 billion
78
 Hong Kong
 Canada
Cheung Kong Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa

7001100000000000000♠10
David Thomson
$22.0 billion
49
 Canada
Thomson Corporation

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$52.0 billion
50
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$42.0 billion
75
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000300000000000000♠3
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim
$30.0 billion
66
 Mexico
Telmex

7000400000000000000♠4
Kamprad, IngvarIngvar Kamprad
$28.0 billion
79
 Sweden
IKEA

7000500000000000000♠5
Mittal, LakshmiLakshmi Mittal
$23.5 billion
55
 India
Mittal Steel Company

7000600000000000000♠6
Allen, PaulPaul Allen
$22.0 billion
53
 United States
Microsoft

7000700000000000000♠7
Arnault, BernardBernard Arnault
$21.5 billion
57
 France
LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton

7000800000000000000♠8
Al-Waleed, PrincePrince Al-Waleed
$20.0 billion
49
 Saudi Arabia
Kingdom Holding Company

7000900000000000000♠9
Thomson, KennethKenneth Thomson
$19.6 billion
82
 Canada
The Thomson Corporation

7001100000000000000♠10
Shing, Li KaLi Ka Shing
$18.8 billion
77
 Hong Kong
 Canada
Cheung Kong Group, Hutchison Whampoa

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$46.5 billion
49
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$44.0 billion
74
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000300000000000000♠3
Mittal, LakshmiLakshmi Mittal
$25.0 billion
54
 India
Mittal Steel Company

7000400000000000000♠4
Slim, CarlosCarlos Slim
$23.8 billion
65
 Mexico
Telmex

7000500000000000000♠5
Al-Waleed, PrincePrince Al-Waleed
$23.7 billion
49
 Saudi Arabia
Kingdom Holding Company

7000600000000000000♠6
Kamprad, IngvarIngvar Kamprad
$23.0 billion
79
 Sweden
IKEA

7000700000000000000♠7
Allen, PaulPaul Allen
$21.0 billion
52
 United States
Microsoft

7000800000000000000♠8
Albrecht, KarlKarl Albrecht
$18.5 billion
85
 Germany
Aldi Süd

7000900000000000000♠9
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$18.4 billion
60
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7001100000000000000♠10
Walton, S. RobsonS. Robson Walton
$18.3 billion
61
 United States
Walmart

text: The founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, become billionaires at age 30.

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$46.6 billion
48
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$42.9 billion
73
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000300000000000000♠3
Albrecht, KarlKarl Albrecht
$23.0 billion
84
 Germany
Aldi Süd

7000400000000000000♠4
Al-Waleed, PrincePrince Al-Waleed
$21.5 billion
47
 Saudi Arabia
Kingdom Holding Company

7000500000000000000♠5
Allen, PaulPaul Allen
$21.0 billion
51
 United States
Microsoft

7000600000000000000♠6
Walton, AliceAlice Walton*
$20.0 billion
55
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000700000000000000♠7
Walton, HelenHelen Walton*
$20.0 billion
84
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000800000000000000♠8
Walton, JimJim Walton*
$20.0 billion
56
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000900000000000000♠9
Walton, JohnJohn Walton*
$20.0 billion
58
 United States
Wal-Mart

7001100000000000000♠10
Walton, S. RobsonS. Robson Walton*
$20.0 billion
60
 United States
Wal-Mart

text: Oprah Winfrey becomes the first female African American billionaire.

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$40.7 billion
47
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$30.5 billion
72
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000300000000000000♠3
Karl and Theo Albrecht
$25.6 billion
83
 Germany
Aldi Süd

7000400000000000000♠4
Allen, PaulPaul Allen
$20.1 billion
50
 United States
Microsoft

7000500000000000000♠5
Al-Waleed, PrincePrince Al-Waleed
$17.7 billion
46
 Saudi Arabia
Kingdom Holding Company

7000600000000000000♠6
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$16.6 billion
58
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000700000000000000♠7
Walton, AliceAlice Walton*
$16.5 billion
54
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000800000000000000♠8
Walton, HelenHelen Walton*
$16.5 billion
83
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000900000000000000♠9
Walton, JimJim Walton*
$16.5 billion
55
 United States
Wal-Mart

7001100000000000000♠10
Walton, JohnJohn Walton*
$16.5 billion
57
 United States
Wal-Mart

7001100000000000000♠10
Walton, S. RobsonS. Robson Walton*
$16.5 billion
59
 United States
Wal-Mart

text: As a result of the market crash caused by the Dot-com bubble, 83 billionaires drop off the list from the previous year.

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$52.8 billion
46
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$35.0 billion
71
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000300000000000000♠3
Karl and Theo Albrecht
$26.8 billion
82
 Germany
Aldi Süd

7000400000000000000♠4
Allen, PaulPaul Allen
$25.2 billion
49
 United States
Microsoft

7000500000000000000♠5
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$23.5 billion
57
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000600000000000000♠6
Walton, JimJim Walton*
$20.8 billion
54
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000700000000000000♠7
Walton, JohnJohn Walton*
$20.7 billion
56
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000800000000000000♠8
Walton, AliceAlice Walton*
$20.5 billion
53
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000900000000000000♠9
Walton, S. RobsonS. Robson Walton*
$20.5 billion
58
 United States
Wal-Mart

7001100000000000000♠10
Walton, HelenHelen Walton*
$20.4 billion
82
 United States
Wal-Mart

text: In 2001, BET founder Robert L. Johnson became the first ever African-American billionaire.[38]

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$58.7 billion
45
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$32.3 billion
70
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000300000000000000♠3
Allen, PaulPaul Allen
$30.4 billion
48
 United States
Microsoft

7000400000000000000♠4
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$26.0 billion
56
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000500000000000000♠5
Karl and Theo Albrecht
$25.0 billion
81
 Germany
Aldi

7000600000000000000♠6
Al-Waleed, PrincePrince Al-Waleed
$20.0 billion
44
 Saudi Arabia
Kingdom Holding Company

7000700000000000000♠7
Walton, JimJim Walton*
$18.8 billion
53
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000800000000000000♠8
Walton, JohnJohn Walton*
$18.7 billion
55
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000900000000000000♠9
Walton, S. RobsonS. Robson Walton*
$18.6 billion
57
 United States
Wal-Mart

7001100000000000000♠10
Walton, AliceAlice Walton*
$18.5 billion
52
 United States
Wal-Mart

7001100000000000000♠10
Walton, HelenHelen Walton*
$18.5 billion
81
 United States
Wal-Mart

text: Each hold an essentially equal share in Wal-Mart. Had he been alive in 2001, Sam Walton would have been the world's wealthiest person.

text: Bill Gates became the first American to take the top spot of the World's Billionaires in 1995 with a net worth of $12.5 billion and he remained there during the Dot-com bubble's height in 1999 when Gates' fortune peaked at $90 billion. After the dot-com bubble started to collapse in 2000, his wealth dropped to $60 billion although he remained at the top of the list.

text:
No.
Name
Net worth (USD)
Age
Nationality
Source(s) of wealth

7000100000000000000♠1
Gates, BillBill Gates
$60.0 billion
44
 United States
Microsoft

7000200000000000000♠2
Ellison, LarryLarry Ellison
$47.0 billion
55
 United States
Oracle Corporation

7000300000000000000♠3
Allen, PaulPaul Allen
$28.0 billion
47
 United States
Microsoft

7000400000000000000♠4
Buffett, WarrenWarren Buffett
$25.6 billion
69
 United States
Berkshire Hathaway

7000500000000000000♠5
Karl and Theo Albrecht
$20.0 billion
80
 Germany
Aldi Süd

7000600000000000000♠6
Al-Waleed, PrincePrince Al-Waleed
$20.0 billion
43
 Saudi Arabia
Kingdom Holding Company

7000700000000000000♠7
Walton, S. RobsonS. Robson Walton
$20.0 billion
57
 United States
Wal-Mart

7000800000000000000♠8
Son, MasayoshiMasayoshi Son
$19.4 billion
43
 Japan
Softbank Capital, SoftBank Mobile

7000900000000000000♠9
Dell, MichaelMichael Dell
$19.1 billion
35
 United States
Dell

7001100000000000000♠10
Thomson, KennethKenneth Thomson
$16.1 billion
77
 Canada
The Thomson Corporation

text: Legend

text:
Icon
Description

Has not changed from the previous ranking.

Has increased from the previous ranking.

Has decreased from the previous ranking.

text: Statistics

text: The dot-com bubble created the most paper wealth for some billionaires. However, once the dotcom bubble burst the new rich saw their fortunes disappear.[39] Billionaires' fortunes were hit even harder by the global financial crisis; 2009 was the first time in five years that the world had a net loss in the number of billionaires.[40] The strong performance of the financial markets and global economic recovery have erased financial assets losses. Most of the richest people in the world have seen their fortunes soar in the early 2010s.[41][42]

text:
Number and combined net worth of billionaires by year[43]

Year
Number of billionaires
Group's combined net worth

2017
2,043
$7.67 trillion

2016
1,810
$6.5 trillion

2015[6]
1,826
$7.1 trillion

2014[44]
1,645
$6.4 trillion

2013[45]
1,426
$5.4 trillion

2012
1,226
$4.6 trillion

2011
1,210
$4.5 trillion

2010
1,011
$3.6 trillion

2009
793
$2.4 trillion

2008
1,125
$4.4 trillion

2007
946
$3.5 trillion

2006
793
$2.6 trillion

2005
691
$2.2 trillion

2004
587
$1.9 trillion

2003
476
$1.4 trillion

2002
497
$1.5 trillion

2001
538
$1.8 trillion

2000
470
$0.9 trillion$898 billion

text: Source: Forbes.[6][44][43][45]