Namaka (moon)

Namaka

Namaka is the faint spot near the bottom of the photo, directly below Haumea (center), in this Keck telescope image.
Discovery
Discovered by	Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, David Rabinowitz, et al.
Discovery date	30 June 2005
Designations
MPC designation	Haumea II Namaka
Pronunciation	/nɑːˈmɑːkə/ nah-MAH-kə
Alternative names	(136108) 2003 EL61 II, S/2005 (2003 EL61) 2
Orbital characteristics
Epoch JD 2454615.0
Semi-major axis	25657±91 km
Eccentricity	0.249±0.015 (in 2009; variable)
Orbital period	18.2783±0.0076 d
Mean anomaly	178.5°±1.7°
Inclination	113.013°±0.075° 13.41°±0.08° relative to Hiʻiaka (in 2008; variable)
Longitude of ascending node	205.016°±0.228°
Argument of perihelion	178.9°±2.3°
Satellite of	Haumea
Physical characteristics
Mean radius	~85 km (if albedo is same as primary's 0.7±0.1)
Mass	1.79 ± 1.48×1018 kg (0.05% the mass of Haumea)
Mean density	(assumed to be near 1 g/cm3)
Albedo	0.8±0.2
Temperature	32±3 K
Apparent magnitude	21.9 (4.6 difference from primary's 17.3)

Namaka is the smaller, inner moon of the dwarf planet Haumea. It is named after Nāmaka, the goddess of the sea in Hawaiian mythology and one of the daughters of Haumea.

Discovery

Namaka was discovered on 30 June 2005 and announced on 29 November 2005. It was nicknamed "Blitzen" by the discovery team being assigned an official name.

Physical characteristics

Namaka is only 1.5% as bright as its parent dwarf planet Haumea and is about 0.05% its mass. If it turns out to have a similar albedo, it would be about 170 km in diameter. Photometric observations indicate that its surface is made of water ice.