Haumea
From Conservapedia
| Haumea | |
|---|---|
| Date of discovery | 28 December 2004 |
| Name of discoverer | Michael Brown |
| Name origin | Hawaiian goddess of childbirth and fertility |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Primary | Sun |
| Order from primary | 11 |
| Perihelion | 29.65834067 AU |
| Aphelion | 35.164 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 43.335 AU |
| Titius-Bode prediction | unknown |
| Orbital eccentricity | 0.18874 |
| Avg. orbital speed | 4.484 km/s |
| Inclination | 28.19° to the ecliptic |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mass | (4.2 ± 0.1)×1021 kg |
| Density | 2.6–3.3 g/cm³ |
| Surface gravity | 0.44 m/s² |
| Escape speed | 0.84 km/s |
| Mean temperature | 32 ± 3 K |
| Number of moons | 2 |
Haumea is a dwarf planet located in the Kuiper Belt. It is also classified as a plutoid.
Originally designated 2003 EL61, the International Astronomical Union announced on 17 September 2008 that Haumea satisfied the requirements for definition as a dwarf planet, making it the fifth dwarf planet in the solar system, along with Pluto, Ceres, Eris, and Makemake. [1]
Haumea was first sighted by astronomer Michael Brown on 28 December 2004, who initially called it "Santa." He soon realised that it was an unusual object. Not only did it have two moons (named Hi'iaka and Namaka, the daughters of Haumea), but it is oblong shaped, much like a rugby ball. It rotates end-over-end every 4 hours; a significantly faster rate than any other large object in the solar system. Haumea's long axis is similar to that of Pluto or Eris. Additionally, its size and mass seem to indicate it comprises mostly rock, with a thin ice layer, which is usual for a Kuiper Belt object.[2]
Although Brown is now credited with the discovery, there was some controversy and confusion, as a Spanish team, led by Jose-Luis Ortiz, claimed primacy in July 2005 [3], while Brown was still compiling his research on Haumea for a paper. However, the Spanish team erred in claiming Haumea was the tenth planet. The dispute over primacy was probably the result of the delay in naming the planet and the IAU accepted Brown's proposal. However, the Minor Planet Center gives discovery credit to "Sierra Nevada," the observatory at which Ortiz's group was based. [4]
External Links
References
| The Solar System | ||
| Star | Sol | |
| Planets | Vulcan • Mercury • Venus • Earth • Mars • Jupiter • Saturn • Uranus • Neptune | |
| Dwarf Planets | Ceres • Haumea • Makemake • Pluto • Eris | |
| Asteroid Belt | Major asteroids • C-type asteroids • S-type asteroids • M-type asteroids | |
| Trans-Neptunian Objects | Kuiper Belt • Scattered disk • Oort Cloud • Nemesis | |
| Natural satellites | Moon • Phobos • Deimos • Io • Europa • Ganymede • Callisto • Mimas • Enceladus • Tethys • Dione • Rhea • Titan • Hyperion • Iapetus • Miranda • Ariel • Umbriel • Titania • Oberon • Triton • Nereid • Charon • Nix • Hydra • Dysnomia |
