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Astronomical objects discovered in 2002Binary trans-Neptunian objectsClassical Kuiper belt objectsDiscoveries by Chad Trujillo

Quaoar

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

An artist’s illustration of the dwarf planet Quaoar with its ring and moon Weywot in space.

Quaoar: A Special World Far Away

Quaoar is a fascinating dwarf planet that lives in a distant part of our solar system called the Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper Belt is a region filled with icy objects that orbits past the planet Neptune. Quaoar is about half the size of Pluto, measuring around 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) across.

Quaoar was discovered in 2002 by astronomers Chad Trujillo and Michael Brown at the Palomar Observatory. They noticed a moving object among the stars and realized it was something new and exciting. Quaoar was later named after a creation force from the mythology of the Tongva people, who live near where the discovery was made.

One of the most interesting things about Quaoar is that it has two thin rings made of icy particles that orbit around it. These rings stay in place because of special patterns in how they move compared to Quaoar’s spin. Quaoar also has a moon named Weywot, which orbits the dwarf planet every 12.4 days.

Scientists are very excited about Quaoar because it helps us learn more about how objects in the outer solar system formed and move. Future space missions might one day visit Quaoar to learn even more about this distant and special world.

Images

A diagram showing the orbit of the dwarf planet Quaoar in space, compared to the orbits of Mars and the giant planets.
A comparison showing the relative sizes of the celestial body Quaoar, Earth, and the Moon.
Scientific graph showing how light from a star dimmed when passing behind the space object Quaoar, helping scientists study its size and shape.
Diagram showing the orbit of the celestial object Weywot around Quaoar as seen from Earth.
Diagram showing the orbit of Weywot around the dwarf planet Quaoar, viewed from above Quaoar's north pole.
An animation showing the Kuiper Belt Object Quaoar as observed by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft from space.
A colorful image of Ceres, a dwarf planet, showing bright craters like Haulani and Oxo on its surface.
A colorful image of the planet Pluto showing its icy surface and distinctive 'heart' feature, captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
A visual guide to the major objects in our Solar System, showing the relative sizes of planets and the Sun.
A colorful collection of planets in our solar system, showing Mercury, Venus, Earth with its Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, each captured by different NASA spacecraft.
A stunning view of our planet Earth from space, showing Africa, Antarctica, and the Arabian Peninsula.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Quaoar, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.