Haumea is a really cool dwarf planet that lives far away in a part of space called the Kuiper Belt. It was discovered by two astronomers, Christiaan Trujillo and Michael Brown, at a place called the Palomar Observatory in California. Haumea got its name from a special character in the stories of the Mission Indians of Southern California.
Haumea is about half the size of Pluto, with a diameter of around 1,500 kilometers. It takes Haumea about 285 Earth years to travel all the way around the Sun because its orbit is almost a perfect circle. This distant planet is about six billion kilometers away from Earth, which makes it hard to see and study.
One of the most interesting things about Haumea is what’s on its surface. Scientists have found signs of crystalline ice and ammonia hydrate there. This means Haumea has a very interesting history, and scientists are curious about how it got to be the way it is today.
Haumea has a moon named Hi’iaka, which was discovered by Michael Brown using pictures taken in February 2006. Hi’iaka is about 74 kilometers wide. This makes Haumea’s system even more interesting. Scientists are still finding new objects in the Kuiper Belt, and there might be more moons around Haumea waiting to be discovered!
Haumea is a special and exciting part of our solar system. As we keep exploring the Kuiper Belt, we learn more and more about Haumea and the space around it. The adventure of discovering space never stops, and each new discovery helps us understand the mysteries of our universe a little better.
Create Your Own Dwarf Planet: Imagine you are an astronomer who has just discovered a new dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt. Draw a picture of your planet and give it a name. Think about what might be on its surface, like Haumea’s ice and ammonia hydrate. Share your drawing with the class and explain why you chose those features for your planet.
Orbit Exploration: Use a ball and a string to create a model of Haumea’s orbit around the Sun. Measure out a piece of string to represent the distance Haumea travels in its orbit. Remember, Haumea takes 285 Earth years to orbit the Sun! Discuss with your classmates why it takes so long for Haumea to complete one orbit and how this compares to Earth’s orbit.
Kuiper Belt Detective: Go on a “space detective” mission in your backyard or a local park. Look for objects that remind you of the Kuiper Belt, like rocks or ice. Collect a few items and create a mini Kuiper Belt display. Write a short story about what it would be like to explore the Kuiper Belt and discover new objects like Haumea and its moon, Hi’iaka.
