Our solar system is a huge place filled with many interesting objects. One of these is called 541132 Leleākūhonua, but most people call it the Goblin. Let’s learn about this mysterious object and why it’s so special!
The Goblin, officially named 541132 Leleākūhonua, is a special kind of space object known as an extreme trans-Neptunian object. This means it is located far beyond Neptune, the eighth planet from the Sun. It got its spooky nickname because it was discovered near Halloween in 2015, and the letters “TG” in its temporary name remind people of “trick or treat ghost.”
A team of astronomers found the Goblin in October 2015. They were using powerful telescopes at the Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii. The team included scientists named Chad Trujillo, David J. Tholen, and Scott S. Sheppard. They used the Subaru Telescope and the Blanco 4-meter Telescope to spot this distant object.
One of the coolest things about the Goblin is its long, stretched-out orbit around the Sun. It never gets closer than 80 astronomical units (AU) to the Sun. To give you an idea, one AU is the distance from the Earth to the Sun. The Goblin can travel as far as 2,300 AU away! It takes the Goblin about 35,760 Earth days to go around the Sun just once. That’s a really long year compared to our 365-day year!
Scientists think that the strange orbits of objects like the Goblin might be affected by a mysterious ninth planet, sometimes called Planet X. Even though no one has found this planet yet, the Goblin stays far away from the big planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, keeping its own path in the solar system.
There might be as many as 10,000 small, planet-like objects beyond Pluto in the outer solar system. These are hard to find because they are so tiny and far away. But as technology gets better, scientists hope to discover more of these fascinating objects. Maybe one day, you could be one of the astronomers finding new worlds!
The Goblin, or 541132 Leleākūhonua, is just one of the many amazing objects in our solar system. Its unique orbit and the search for more like it keep scientists and space fans excited. Who knows what other secrets are waiting to be uncovered in the vastness of space?
Model the Solar System: Create a simple model of the solar system using household items. Use a large ball to represent the Sun and smaller balls or objects for the planets. Place them at different distances to show their orbits. For the Goblin, use a tiny object and place it far away from the Sun to represent its distant orbit. Discuss with your family how far the Goblin is compared to the other planets. How does its orbit compare to Earth’s?
Orbit Exploration: Draw a large circle on a piece of paper to represent the Sun’s orbit. Then, draw a much larger oval around it to show the Goblin’s orbit. Use a ruler to measure the distance from the Sun to the closest point of the Goblin’s orbit (80 AU) and the farthest point (2,300 AU). Convert these distances into a simple scale, like 1 AU = 1 cm, to visualize how far the Goblin travels. How many times longer is the Goblin’s orbit compared to Earth’s?
Imagine Being an Astronomer: Pretend you are an astronomer discovering a new object in space. Write a short story or draw a picture about what your object might look like and what its orbit might be. Would it have a spooky name like the Goblin? Share your story or drawing with your classmates and discuss what makes your discovery special.
