Haumea: The Football-Shaped Dwarf Planet

Haumea is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, discovered in 2004.
Its rapid 4-hour rotation squashes it into an elongated, football-like shape.
Haumea is about 1,400 miles long but only half as wide.
It has a surface coated with crystalline water ice, making it shine brightly.
Haumea is one of the fastest-spinning large objects in the solar system.
It has two moons, Hiʻiaka and Namaka, named after Hawaiian goddesses.
A thin ring of icy particles circles Haumea, discovered in 2017.
Its unusual shape and moons suggest it suffered a massive collision long ago.
Haumea’s name honors the Hawaiian goddess of fertility and childbirth.
Along with Pluto, Eris, Ceres, and Makemake, Haumea is one of five officially recognized dwarf planets.