38628 Huya Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
38628 Huya
Discovery
Artist's impression of Huya
Discovered by	Ignacio Ferrin
Discovery date	March 10, 2000
Designations
MPC designation	38628 Huya
Alternative names	2000 EB₁₇₃
Minor planet category	TNO Plutino
Orbital characteristics
Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5)
Aphelion	7627.387 Gm (50.986 AU)
Perihelion	4269.292 Gm (28.538 AU)
Semi-major axis	5948.340 Gm (39.762 AU)
Eccentricity	0.282
Orbital period	91580.694 d (250.73 a)
Average orbital speed	4.63 km/s
Mean anomaly	348.506°
Inclination	15.463°
Longitude of ascending node	169.296°
Argument of perihelion	67.637°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	480±50 km 532±25 km
Mass	6.5×10¹⁹–1.8×10²⁰ kg
Mean density	2.0? g/cm³
Surface gravity	0.12–0.15? m/s²
Escape velocity	0.23–0.28? km/s
Sidereal rotation period	? d
Albedo	0.11±0.02
Temperature	~44 K
Spectral type	(moderately red) B-V=1.00; V-R=0.65
Apparent magnitude	19.3 (opposition)
Absolute magnitude (H)	4.7
Angular diameter	0.024" (max)

38628 Huya is a small, icy world far beyond Neptune. Scientists call objects like this "Trans-Neptunian Objects" (TNOs). It was first spotted in March 2000 by a scientist named Ignacio Ferrin.

When it was first found, it had a temporary name: 2000 EB₁₇₃. In August 2003, the International Astronomical Union gave it the official name "Huya." This name comes from Juyá, who is the rain god of the Wayuu people.

How Big is Huya?
- Huya's Size and Shape
- What is Huya's Surface Like?
Huya's Journey Around the Sun
- Huya's Orbit
Images for kids
See also

How Big is Huya?

When Huya was first discovered, it was one of the largest and brightest TNOs ever found. Scientists used information from the CIDA Observatory in Venezuela to study it.

Huya's Size and Shape

Astronomers believe Huya is about 530 kilometers (330 miles) wide. This is roughly the distance from London to Paris. It is not perfectly round like a planet.

What is Huya's Surface Like?

The surface of Huya looks reddish when scientists study its light. This red color might mean that its surface has special materials called tholins. These are organic materials, similar to what you might find on other icy bodies in the outer Solar System.

Huya's Journey Around the Sun

Huya takes a very long time to travel around the Sun. It completes one full orbit in about 250 Earth years.

Huya's Orbit

Because of its long orbit, Huya appears in a special position called "opposition" in early May each year. This is when Huya, Earth, and the Sun are almost in a straight line, making Huya appear brightest from Earth. Even then, it is very faint, needing powerful telescopes to see it.

The Solar System

Sun • Heliosphere	Planets ☾ = moon(s) ∅ = rings		Mercury	Venus	Earth ☾	Mars ☾

			Jupiter ☾ ∅	Saturn ☾ ∅	Uranus ☾ ∅	Neptune ☾ ∅

	Dwarf planets		Ceres	Pluto ☾	Haumea ☾	Makemake

			Eris ☾

	Small Solar System bodies	Asteroids (minor planets)	Groups and families: Vulcanoids · Near-Earth asteroids · Asteroid belt Jupiter Trojans · Centaurs · Neptune Trojans · Asteroid moons · Meteoroids · Pallas · Juno · Vesta · Hygiea · Interamnia · Europa
		Asteroids (minor planets)	See also the list of asteroids.

		Trans- Neptunians	Kuiper belt – Plutinos: Orcus · Ixion – Cubewanos: Varuna · Quaoar · Huya
		Trans- Neptunians	Scattered disc: Sedna

		Comets	Periodic comets and non-periodic comets Damocloids · Oort cloud
See also the list of solar system objects

Images for kids

This image shows Huya's path around the Sun. You can see how it compares to the orbits of the outer planets.
An artist's drawing of Huya. Scientists think that icy objects like Huya are not perfectly round.

38628 Huya facts for kids

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