Object Analysis

Haumea is a dwarf planet located beyond Neptune's orbit in the Kuiper Belt. It was discovered in 2004 by a team led by Mike Brown. Haumea is unique due to its extremely elongated shape, resembling a flattened football or a cigar, which is the result of its unusually rapid rotation—it completes a full turn in just under four hours.

This rapid spin is likely the result of a massive collision billions of years ago. This impact also created Haumea’s two known moons, Hiʻiaka and Namaka, and a family of icy fragments that share Haumea's orbit. In 2017, astronomers discovered that Haumea also possesses a ring system, making it the first trans-Neptunian object known to have one.

Haumea's surface is composed largely of nearly pure crystalline water ice, which makes it highly reflective. It is named after the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth, fitting for a body that "gave birth" to a family of moons and icy debris following a violent cosmic encounter.