~310 km
ESTIMATED DIAMETER
49.5 DAYS
ORBITAL PERIOD
~49,880 km
DISTANCE FROM HAUMEA
2005
DISCOVERED
OUTER
HAUMEA MOON
LARGER
HAUMEA'S TWO KNOWN MOONS
THE LARGER MOON
Hiʻiaka is the largest known moon of
Haumea and the outer of Haumea's two
known natural satellites.
It was discovered in 2005 by a team of
astronomers led by Mike Brown and
Chad Trujillo.
Hiʻiaka orbits Haumea at a distance of
almost 50,000 kilometres and takes
about 49.5 Earth days to complete one
revolution.
The moon is thought to be largely icy,
and its surface has spectral characteristics
consistent with water ice.
Its orbit and composition provide
important clues about the unusual
history of the Haumea system.
HIIAKA FEATURES
LARGER MOON
Hiʻiaka is considerably larger than
Haumea's other known moon,
Namaka.
WATER ICE
Observations indicate that Hiʻiaka's
surface is rich in crystalline water ice.
HAUMEA SYSTEM
Studying Hiʻiaka helps scientists
understand the unusual collisional
history of the Haumea system.
DID YOU KNOW?
Hiʻiaka is roughly 310 kilometres
across and is one of the largest known
moons of a dwarf planet.
HAUMEA'S LARGEST MOON
Hiʻiaka is the larger and more distant of Haumea's two known moons. Spectroscopic observations indicate abundant water ice on its surface, linking the moon to the unusual icy properties of the broader Haumea system.
Its orbit helps determine Haumea's mass, while the moons and related Haumea-family objects provide evidence used to investigate a major collision in the system's past.
ORBONIX · DWARF PLANETS
HIIAKA · MOON OF HAUMEA
HIIAKA · MOON OF HAUMEA