Fast spinner
Haumea rotates quickly, completing one spin in about four hours. That fast spin helps stretch it into an oval-like shape.
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Dwarf planet lesson
Haumea
Dwarf planet
Haumea is a fast-spinning dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt. Its rotation stretches it into an oval shape.
Kid fact
Haumea spins so fast that a day there is only about four hours.
Haumea learning illustration
Location
Kuiper Belt
Shape
Oval-like
Known for
Fast spin
Moons
2
Kuiper Belt home
Haumea orbits in the Kuiper Belt, where sunlight is weak and many objects are made of rock mixed with ice.
Moons and ring
Haumea has two known moons and evidence of a ring. That makes it a surprising small system far beyond Neptune.
Why images are hard
Haumea is so distant and small that telescopes cannot easily show surface details, so learning images often use artist concepts.
Look closely
Focus on the stretched shape, the possible ring, and the idea that spinning can change how a world looks.
Watch and learn