Dwarf planet · Solar System

Haumea

Above the horizon after darkHighest after dark 20:20 · west · 14°

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Where is Haumea?

Times for LondonChange city

Look west, about 14° up at 20:20 in Bootes. It sinks lower through the evening and sets at 21:58.

Rises: 07:28
Highest: 14:45
Sets: 21:58
Best after dark: 20:20 · 14°

Can I see Haumea tonight?

From London tonight, Haumea is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest soon after dark, around 20:20, in the west at 14°.

At magnitude 17.3 it needs a large telescope, a dark sky and a detailed chart.

This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.

What does Haumea look like?

Eyes

Not visible.

Binoculars

Not visible.

Telescope

Beyond typical amateur telescopes. Experienced imagers with large instruments can record it as a faint dot that moves over several nights.

What you’re likely to see, not what a space telescope photographs.

About Haumea

Haumea is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune. It is one of the strangest shapes in the Solar System: it spins about once every four hours, so fast that it has stretched into an elongated, egg-like form.

Its surface is covered in crystalline water ice, and it has two known moons, Hiʻiaka and Namaka. In 2017, astronomers watched Haumea pass in front of a star and discovered that it has a thin ring, the first found around a body beyond Neptune.

Haumea is named after the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth and fertility. Its moons are named after two of her daughters.

At around magnitude 17, Haumea is far too faint for backyard telescopes. SkyMate can show you where it is among the stars, even though you cannot see it directly.

Haumea is thought to be the largest piece left over from an ancient collision. A family of smaller icy bodies with similar orbits and surfaces shares its path around the Sun, and the same impact may explain its rapid spin.

Other dwarf planets

Brightness computed today from IAU Minor Planet Center orbits.

Questions

Why is Haumea shaped like an egg?

It spins once about every four hours. That rapid rotation stretches it along one axis.

Does Haumea have rings?

Yes. A thin ring was discovered in 2017 when Haumea passed in front of a background star.

Can I see Haumea with my telescope?

Almost certainly not. At around magnitude 17, it is only within reach of large telescopes and cameras.

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Sources: SkyMate; IAU Minor Planet Center; star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences