Moons of Haumea

Haumea-moons-hubble

Haumea ring moons diagram

Haumea Hubble

Moons of Haumea are two known natural satellites orbiting the dwarf planet Haumea, which resides in the Kuiper belt, a region of the Solar System beyond the orbit of Neptune. Haumea is one of the largest known dwarf planets in the Solar System and is unique due to its elongated shape, rapid rotation, and the presence of these moons. The moons are named Hiʻiaka and Namaka, after Hawaiian goddesses, reflecting Haumea's own naming after a deity from Hawaiian mythology.

Discovery

Hiʻiaka, the larger and outermost of the two, was discovered on January 26, 2005, by a team led by Mike Brown at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Namaka, the smaller and inner moon, was discovered nearly a year and a half later on June 30, 2006, by the same team. The discovery of these moons provided significant insights into the nature of Haumea, its formation, and its history.

Characteristics

Hiʻiaka

Hiʻiaka is the larger of the two moons, with an estimated diameter of about 310 kilometers. It orbits Haumea at a distance of approximately 49,500 kilometers and completes an orbit every 49.12 days. Hiʻiaka is believed to be composed primarily of water ice, similar to Haumea itself. Its surface is relatively bright, suggesting a high albedo, which is consistent with a youthful and possibly resurfaced ice composition.

Namaka

Namaka is smaller, with an estimated diameter of about 170 kilometers, and orbits Haumea at a closer distance of around 39,300 kilometers. Its orbital period is about 18.28 days. Namaka's orbit is highly inclined and eccentric, likely due to past gravitational interactions with Hiʻiaka, suggesting that the moons may have been involved in a major collision or other dynamic events in the past.

Formation

The current leading hypothesis for the formation of Haumea's moons is that they were formed from the debris of a collision between Haumea and another Kuiper belt object. This collision is also thought to be responsible for Haumea's rapid rotation and elongated shape. The differences in the moons' orbits and compositions provide valuable clues to the nature of the impact and the subsequent evolution of the Haumea system.

Exploration

As of now, there have been no direct exploration missions to Haumea or its moons. Observations have been conducted primarily through ground-based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope. Future missions to the Kuiper belt could potentially include flybys or even orbiters to study Haumea and its moons in more detail, providing further insights into their characteristics and the processes that formed them.

See also

• List of natural satellites
• Kuiper belt
• Dwarf planet