Haumea is a dwarf planet orbiting the Sun in the distant reaches of our solar system, far beyond Neptune. The answer to how far away it is cannot be a single number because its path is an ellipse, meaning the distance constantly changes. This icy world’s journey around the Sun defines a vast orbital range that takes hundreds of Earth years to complete. Understanding Haumea’s distance requires examining the closest and farthest points of its elongated orbit.
The Variable Distance of Haumea’s Orbit
The distance of Haumea from the Sun fluctuates significantly due to its eccentric orbit. At its closest point to the Sun, known as perihelion, Haumea comes in to approximately 34.6 Astronomical Units (AU). An Astronomical Unit is the distance from the Earth to the Sun, meaning Haumea is over 34 times farther away than our own planet at this minimum distance. This distance translates to about 5.18 billion kilometers (3.22 billion miles).
Conversely, the dwarf planet travels out to its maximum distance, called aphelion, which is about 51.6 AU from the Sun. This farthest point is roughly 7.72 billion kilometers (4.80 billion miles) away. The average distance of Haumea from the Sun, or its semi-major axis, is approximately 43.1 AU.
Its orbital period, often called a Haumean year, lasts about 283 Earth years. The dwarf planet passed its aphelion in the early 1990s and is currently moving inward, but it will not reach its next perihelion until the year 2133.
Haumea’s Location in the Outer Solar System
Haumea resides within the Kuiper Belt, a vast, ring-shaped zone of icy bodies and remnants extending past Neptune’s orbit. It is classified as a classical Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) because its orbit is not strongly influenced by Neptune’s gravity. This region is a cold, dark frontier, home to thousands of objects left over from the solar system’s formation.
Haumea’s distance becomes clearer when compared to other outer solar system bodies. Neptune, the last official planet, orbits the Sun at an average distance of about 30 AU. Haumea’s closest approach is still significantly farther out than Neptune’s orbit.
Pluto, the most well-known dwarf planet, has an average distance of about 39.5 AU, placing Haumea on an orbit that is generally more distant. While Pluto is situated firmly within the Kuiper Belt, Haumea’s highly inclined and eccentric path defines the more remote boundary of this disk-like region. Sunlight takes over six hours to reach its surface.
Defining Haumea: A Unique Dwarf Planet
Beyond its distant orbit, Haumea is notable for its elongated shape, resembling a rugby ball or an American football. This unusual form is a direct consequence of its extremely rapid rotation.
Haumea spins on its axis once every 3.9 hours, making it one of the fastest rotating large objects in the solar system. This rapid spin causes a powerful centrifugal force that stretches the dwarf planet into a triaxial ellipsoid shape. Its composition is also unusual for a Kuiper Belt Object, as it is believed to consist mostly of dense rock beneath a bright, thin layer of crystalline water ice.
The dwarf planet has two known moons, Hi’iaka and Namaka, thought to have been created by a giant collision early in its history. Hi’iaka is the larger and outer moon, while Namaka is smaller and orbits closer to Haumea. Haumea is also the first Trans-Neptunian Object discovered to possess a ring system, a narrow band of material orbiting its equator.