The category of dwarf planets was created in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union to help contain new objects that were being discovered. Although there are hundreds of objects in the solar system that could potentially be classified as dwarf planets, as of 2017 there are only five officially recognized ones: Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake. Unlike planets, dwarf planets have not cleared their orbits of objects and debris.