Fifth dwarf planet named Haumea

Posted on Sunday, September 21 2008 @ 13:01 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck

The International Astronomical Union has named the fifth dwarf planet in our solar system Haumea, and its two moons Hi'iaka and Namaka. Haumea was formally designated 136108 2003 EL61, the Kuiper belt object has roughly one-third the mass of Pluto and was discovered in December 2004. The other four dward planets are Pluto, Ceres, Eris and Makemake.

The International Astronomical Union has renamed the dwarf planet Haumea and its two moons Hi'iaka and Namaka, after the Hawaiian fertility goddess, the patron goddess of Hawaii, and a water spirit. The cigar-shaped body is speculated to have resulted from its short rotational period of only four hours.

Source: Slashdot

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Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.

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