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| Hiʻiaka (moon) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hiʻiaka |
| Designation | 2007 Hawaiian moon of Haumea |
| Discoverer | Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, David Rabinowitz |
| Discovery date | 2005 |
| Satellite of | Haumea |
| Mean radius km | ~195? |
| Orbit period | ~49 days |
| Albedo | high |
Hiʻiaka (moon) is the larger outer satellite of the dwarf planet Haumea in the Kuiper belt. Discovered in 2005 by a team associated with the Palomar Observatory and announced by researchers connected to California Institute of Technology, the satellite has been a focus of studies linking trans-Neptunian object collisional families, icy satellites dynamics, and Hawaiian mythology-inspired nomenclature.
Hiʻiaka was identified in images taken by observers including Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz using facilities at Palomar Observatory and later confirmed with the W. M. Keck Observatory adaptive optics system operated by teams from University of California, Berkeley and University of Hawaii. The discovery tied into a period of intensive surveys by groups centered at California Institute of Technology, Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and collaborators at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The International Astronomical Union naming followed a proposal referencing the Hawaiian language pantheon, coordinated with experts from Bishop Museum and officials from State of Hawaii cultural advisory panels, resulting in the name honoring a figure connected to the Hawaiian Islands and the goddess Pele family of myths.
Hiʻiaka orbits Haumea in a prograde, moderately inclined orbit within the Kuiper belt population influenced by interactions with Neptune during early Solar System migration. Its semimajor axis and orbital period were measured through repeated imaging campaigns using instruments at W. M. Keck Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, with astrometric work assisted by researchers affiliated with Space Telescope Science Institute and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Studies of its orbit contribute to understanding resonant and secular processes studied by groups at University of Maryland and Southwest Research Institute. Numerical integrations by teams at University of California, Santa Cruz and University of Colorado Boulder have examined tidal evolution, spin–orbit coupling, and potential past interactions with Haumea's inner satellite, linking to models developed at Institute for Advanced Study-level collaborations.
Photometric and spectroscopic observations from Keck Observatory, Gemini Observatory, and the Very Large Telescope have shown Hiʻiaka to have a high visible albedo consistent with crystalline water ice, a trait shared with Haumea and other members of the Haumean collisional family identified by researchers at Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and University of Bern. Estimates of its radius derive from brightness and assumed albedo models used by scientists at California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while density constraints relate to mass measurements conducted by teams from Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and computational groups at University of Toronto. Comparative analyses reference icy satellites such as Europa, Enceladus, and Miranda in discussions by researchers at Cornell University and Brown University.
Near-infrared spectroscopy performed by investigators from University of Hawaii and University of Arizona shows prominent absorption features attributable to crystalline water ice, paralleling spectral studies published by groups at Observatoire de Paris and University of Oxford. Surface models incorporate irradiation processing from cosmic rays and solar wind examined in laboratory facilities at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Ames Research Center, and consider impact gardening scenarios explored by teams at Imperial College London and University of Chicago. Hypotheses about surface heterogeneity cite analogs in the outer Solar System studied by researchers at University College London and University of California, Los Angeles.
Hiʻiaka is widely interpreted as a product of a giant impact that also produced Haumea's rapid rotation and the collisional family identified in dynamical surveys led by Mike Brown's group at California Institute of Technology and numerical modelers at University of Bern. Simulations by scientists at Southwest Research Institute, University of Arizona, and Los Alamos National Laboratory explore fragmentation, reaccumulation, and angular momentum transfer that could yield Hiʻiaka-sized satellites. Long-term orbital evolution studies consider the effects of tidal dissipation treated by theorists at University of Cambridge and Princeton University, and the role of early Solar System migration frameworks developed by migration theorists at Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris and University of Toronto.
Hiʻiaka has been observed with the Hubble Space Telescope, ground-based adaptive optics at W. M. Keck Observatory, surveys by Subaru Telescope, and spectroscopy from Gemini Observatory and European Southern Observatory facilities. Data analysis has been performed by teams at Space Telescope Science Institute, California Institute of Technology, and Harvard University. While no dedicated spacecraft mission has visited Haumea or its moons, mission concept studies by NASA centers, including Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, have evaluated flyby and rendezvous architectures, drawing on mission heritage from New Horizons and proposal teams at Southwest Research Institute and Applied Physics Laboratory.
The name Hiʻiaka derives from a prominent figure in Hawaiian mythology, associated with Hawaiian legends concerning the goddess Pele. The naming process involved consultation with cultural experts from institutions such as the Bishop Museum and University of Hawaii at Manoa, aligning astronomical nomenclature practices endorsed by the International Astronomical Union with local traditions observed by Office of Hawaiian Affairs stakeholders. The choice highlights ongoing dialogues between planetary science communities at American Astronomical Society meetings and indigenous cultural representatives from Hawaiian institutions.
Category:Moons Category:Trans-Neptunian objects Category:Haumea