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Welcome to Haumea!

AI-generated image of Haumea, giving an idea of its possible appearance based on observations.
Average distance from Sun
6,450,100,000 km
4,007,905,087 miles
43.12 A.U.
Dimensions
2322 x 1,704 x 1,138 km
(1,443 x 1,059 x 707 miles)
Time to spin on axis (a day)
3 hours, 55 mins
Time to orbit the Sun (a year)
283 years, 44 days
Temperature
-240 °C
-400 °F
Origin of Name
In Hawaiian mythology, Haumea is the goddess of fertility, childbirth and new life.
Number of Moons
Haumea Key Information
  • Classified as a dwarf planet, and is the third dwarf planet in distance from the Sun
  • Also referred to as a Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) as it orbits beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune
  • Has an elongated shape, and isn't spherical like the other planets and dwarf planets. Looks more like an American football or rugby ball. Or if you want to sound smart, it's a uniform triaxial ellipsoid.
  • Diameter lengthways is approximately 2,320 kilometres (1,440 miles). Its width is 1,520 kilometres (945 miles).
  • Takes just over 283 years to orbit the Sun
  • Two teams are credited with the discovery of Haumea. A team led by Mike Brown at Caltech, photographed it in December 2004 and announced it in July 2005. A Spanish team led by José Luis Ortiz Moreno photographed it in 2003, but didn't notice it in their pictures until July 2005.
  • Has two known moons
  • Was initially nicknamed Santa, and its two moons as Rudolph and Blitzen, before being given a less festive name later on. Shame.
  • Rings were discovered around Haumea in 2017. It is the first Trans-Neptunian Object known to have rings.
  • Has a white surface with dark red regions

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