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136108 Haumea Trivia Quiz

A quiz on the dwarf planet Haumea.

A multiple-choice quiz by jonthomas. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
jonthomas

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
351,539

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
281

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Haumea is unique among its dwarf planet brethren as it has one quality the others lack. What is this? Hint

It is not in 3:2 resonance with Neptune

It has a permanent atmosphere

It is very elliptical in shape, somewhat like an egg

It has retrograde rotation

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Question 2 of 10

2. Haumea was also the name of a Hawaiian goddess. What was Haumea the goddess of? Hint

Childbirth

Volcano eruptions

Rainstorms

Agriculture

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Question 3 of 10

3. Haumea has two known moons. One is Namaka. Can you name the other? Hint

Kapo

Namaka II

Hi'iaka

S/2003/(136108) 1

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Question 4 of 10

4. What kind of dwarf planet is Haumea? Hint

Cubewano

Asteroid

Unknown

Plutoid

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Question 5 of 10

5. Though it was first noticed in 2004, there are images of Haumea dating back to as far as what year? Hint

1930

2001

1997

1955

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Question 6 of 10

6. Before being formally named, Haumea was nicknamed "Santa". Why was this? Hint

It was discovered on New Year's Day

All dwarf planets are nicknamed after holiday figures

The observatory to discover it was stationed in the north pole

It was discovered around Christmas

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Question 7 of 10

7. Much like how Pluto sometimes crosses Neptune's orbit, Haumea can cross Pluto's orbit.

True

False

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Question 8 of 10

8. How long is a Haumean day thought to be? Hint

Around 4 hours

10 hours

65 Earth days

3 Earth days

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Question 9 of 10

9. When was Haumea classified as a dwarf planet? Hint

October 25, 2007

April 9, 2011

December 28, 2004

September 17, 2008

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Question 10 of 10

10. Like Haumea was called Santa when discovered, its two moons were given Christmas themed nicknames. What were they? Hint

Vixen and Donner

Dasher and Prancer

Rudolph and Blitzen

Comet and Cupid

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Haumea is unique among its dwarf planet brethren as it has one quality the others lack. What is this?

Answer: It is very elliptical in shape, somewhat like an egg

An ellipsoid is a three-dimensional oval, so this is truly a strange shape for such a large object to be in. This is probably due to its rapid rotation speed. In actuality, no known object in space is perfectly spherical, though it is very hard to notice with most objects that are in such a shape.

2. Haumea was also the name of a Hawaiian goddess. What was Haumea the goddess of?

Answer: Childbirth

When Haumea's name is translated from Chinese, it is roughly translated as "Small Planet of Pregnant Woman", which reflects upon the goddess's domain. When shown in Hawaiian art, Haumea is often depicted as being pregnant.

3. Haumea has two known moons. One is Namaka. Can you name the other?

Answer: Hi'iaka

Hi'iaka and Namaka were both daughters of Haumea. According to astronomers, it is likely that if any more moons are found, similar naming will follow suit.

4. What kind of dwarf planet is Haumea?

Answer: Plutoid

A plutoid is an object that has a 3:2 resonance with Neptune, meaning for every 3 Neptunian revolutions around the Sun, the plutoid will have orbited it twice. Haumea was also formerly listed as a cubewano. A cubewano is a classical Kuiper Belt object, meaning its orbit is unaffected by Neptune.

5. Though it was first noticed in 2004, there are images of Haumea dating back to as far as what year?

Answer: 1955

It's hard to believe that the object went unnoticed for so long! This is most likely due to its distance and dimness. On average, it is 43 AU (Astronomical Units) away.

6. Before being formally named, Haumea was nicknamed "Santa". Why was this?

Answer: It was discovered around Christmas

To be exact, it was first seen on December 28th, 2004. The only other dwarf planet to be given a holiday themed nickname was Makemake, first nicknamed "Easter Bunny".

7. Much like how Pluto sometimes crosses Neptune's orbit, Haumea can cross Pluto's orbit.

Answer: True

Haumea has an eccentricity of 0.19501. This may not sound like much, but this allows it to not only cross Pluto's orbit, but also the orbits of Makemake, Eris, and very rarely even Halley's Comet.

8. How long is a Haumean day thought to be?

Answer: Around 4 hours

This unusually fast speed of rotation is speculated to be what gives Haumea its ellipsoid shape. It is also thought to be the result of a relatively recent collision of a foreign KBO (Kuiper Belt Object) into Haumea.

9. When was Haumea classified as a dwarf planet?

Answer: September 17, 2008

Haumea was added to the roster of dwarf planets at the same time as Makemake, bringing the dwarf planet total up to five as of that date.

10. Like Haumea was called Santa when discovered, its two moons were given Christmas themed nicknames. What were they?

Answer: Rudolph and Blitzen

Rudolph and Blitzen were two of Santa's reindeer in the classic holiday tales.

Source: Author jonthomas

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
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