Ring Found Around Pluto Neighbor Haumea

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Thread starter CygnusX-1
Start date Oct 11, 2017
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Pluto Ring

In summary, Haumea is a dwarf planet located in the Kuiper Belt, discovered in 2004 and about one-third the size of Pluto. Its ring was discovered in 2017 using a technique called stellar occultation, and is estimated to be 43 miles wide and 1,000 miles in diameter. The ring is made of small particles of water ice and suggests that Haumea is a dynamic and active object with ongoing processes. This discovery adds to our understanding of the diversity and complexity of objects in the outer solar system.

Oct 11, 2017

CygnusX-1

A ring has been found around Haumea, a world more than 2 billion kilometres beyond Pluto. The ring is the most distant ever seen in our solar system.

Read more at New Scientist .

Astronomy news on Phys.org

Oct 12, 2017

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CygnusX-1 said:

a world more than 2 billion kilometres beyond Pluto

A new definition of "neighbor" perhaps?

1. What is Haumea and where is it located?

Haumea is a dwarf planet located in the Kuiper Belt, which is a region of our solar system beyond Neptune's orbit. It was discovered in 2004 and is about one-third the size of Pluto.

2. How was the ring around Haumea discovered?

The ring around Haumea was discovered in 2017 by a team of astronomers using a technique called stellar occultation. They observed the dwarf planet as it passed in front of a distant star, and noticed a brief decrease in the star's brightness, indicating the presence of a ring.

3. How big is the ring around Haumea?

The ring around Haumea is estimated to be about 43 miles wide and 1,000 miles in diameter. This makes it smaller than the rings around Saturn, but larger than the rings around Uranus and Neptune.

4. What is the ring around Haumea made of?

The ring around Haumea is made of small particles of water ice, similar to the rings around Uranus and Neptune. However, the particles in Haumea's ring are thought to be larger and more reflective, giving it a brighter appearance.

5. What does the discovery of a ring around Haumea tell us about the dwarf planet?

The discovery of a ring around Haumea tells us that it is a dynamic and active object, with ongoing processes that can create and maintain a ring structure. It also adds to our understanding of the diversity and complexity of objects in the outer solar system.