Haumea

Haumea, minor-planet designation 136108 Haumea, is a dwarf planet located beyond Neptune's orbit. It was discovered in 2004 by a team headed by Mike Brown of Caltech at the Palomar Observatory in the United States and independently in 2005, by a team headed by José Luis Ortiz Moreno at the Sierra Nevada Observatory in Spain, though the latter claim has been contested. On September 17, 2008, it was recognized as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and named after Haumea, the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth.

Haumea's mass is about one-third that of Pluto, and 1/1400 that of Earth. Although its shape has not been directly observed, calculations from its light curve suggest it is an ellipsoid, with its major axis twice as long as its minor. Nonetheless, its gravity is believed sufficient for it to have relaxed into hydrostatic equilibrium, making it a dwarf planet. This elongation, along with its unusually rapid rotation, high density, and high albedo (from a surface of crystalline water ice), are thought to be the results of a giant collision, which left Haumea the largest member of a collisional family that includes several large trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and its two known moons, Hiʻiaka and Namaka. Its extreme elongation makes it unique among known dwarf planets.

Haumea (disambiguation)

Haumea may refer to:

Haumea (mythology)

Haumea (pronounced [həuˈmɛjə] in the Hawaiian language) is the goddess of fertility and childbirth in Hawaiian mythology.

She is the mother of Pele, Kāne Milohai, Kā-moho-aliʻi, Nāmaka, Kapo, and Hiʻiaka, among many others. Except for Pele, who was born the normal way, her children were born from various parts of her body. From her head, for example, were born Laumiha, Kaha'ula, Kahakauakoko, and Kauakahi.

She was a powerful being, and gave birth to many creatures, some after turning herself into a young woman to marry her children and grandchildren. She was finally killed by Kaulu.

The Hawaiian goddess is not to be confused with a Māori god named Haumia or Haumia-tiketike, the god of wild plants and berries; he is the god of wild food, as opposed to (his brother) Rongo, the god of cultivated food.

Offspring

Some names attributed to Haumea's offspring are:

Dwarf planet

On 17 September 2008 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced it named the fifth known dwarf planet in the Solar System "Haumea" after the Hawaiian goddess. The planet's two moons were named after Haumea's daughters: Hiʻiaka, the goddess born from the mouth of Haumea, and Namaka, the water spirit born from Haumea's body.