Facts for Kids

Haumea is a special dwarf planet found in the Kuiper Belt, which is a region beyond the orbit of Neptune 🌌. It was discovered in 2004 by a team of scientists including José Luis Ortiz Moreno from Spain 🇪🇸. Haumea is unique because it is one of the few known dwarf planets and is shaped like a football! It is about 1,432 kilometers (889 miles) wide, making it much smaller than our planet Earth 🌍. Haumea also has a fascinating feature - it spins very fast, completing a full rotation in just 4 hours! ⚡

In the future, scientists hope to send a spacecraft to Haumea to learn even more! 🚀

This would be exciting because exploring Haumea up close could reveal secrets about its icy surface and how it formed. Scientists also want to learn more about its moons, Hi'iaka and Namaka, during the journey. With new technology, our understanding of Haumea will continue to grow! 🌟

Haumea has two small moons named Hi'iaka and Namaka 🌕. Hi'iaka is the bigger moon and is about 320 kilometers (199 miles) wide. Just like its parent planet, is named after Hawaiian mythology; Hi'iaka is the goddess of hula! Namaka, the smaller moon, is about 170 kilometers (106 miles) wide 🌊. They both help scientists learn more about Haumea by studying their size, colors, and how they move around Haumea.

Haumea orbits the Sun from a distance of about 6.4 billion kilometers (4 billion miles) 🛰️. It takes Haumea around 285 Earth years to complete one trip around the Sun! 🌞

That means if you were born on Haumea, you'd be a baby for over two centuries! It rotates very quickly, finishing one spin in just 4 hours! This fast rotation is why Haumea has its unusual shape.

Haumea was discovered in 2004, but it wasn’t officially named until 2008. The name "Haumea" comes from Hawaiian mythology 🌺. Haumea is the goddess of fertility and childbirth! The discovery was a bit of a mystery because two teams were working on it at the same time. The other team discovered it first, but the team from Spain also made a strong case. In the end, they all agreed on the name and learned more about this icy dwarf planet! 🤝

Haumea has important connections to Hawaiian culture 🌸. In Hawaiian tradition, the goddess Haumea is associated with fertility, childbirth, and the land. The discovery of Haumea by scientists has helped to bring attention to this rich mythology, and many people now know about her story! This shows how science and culture can mix, making learning about space even more exciting! 🤩

So far, Haumea hasn't been visited by spacecraft 🚀. Scientists have learned about it using powerful telescopes on Earth and in space, like the Hubble Space Telescope. They collect data about its size, shape, moons, and surface. Discoveries about Haumea help astronomers understand more about the Kuiper Belt and how planets form! 🔭

Haumea is quite unique in its appearance. Instead of being round like most planets, it is shaped like an elongated egg or a football! ⚽

This is because it spins so fast. Its surface is covered in shiny white ice, which reflects sunlight and makes it very bright 🌟. This dwarf planet has two prominent mountains that can be as high as 6,000 meters (about 19,685 feet)! Haumea is also very cold, with temperatures reaching -240 degrees Celsius (-400 degrees Fahrenheit) 🥶.

Haumea is one of five officially recognized dwarf planets in our solar system, alongside Pluto, Eris, Makemake, and Ceres. Compared to Pluto, Haumea is much less massive but spins much faster. 🚀

Pluto has a round shape while Haumea is elongated. Haumea’s icy surface makes it different from Ceres, which is rocky. These differences help scientists understand what makes each dwarf planet unique! 🌎✨