Facts about Haumea's rapid rotation
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Haumea's rapid spin creates a rotational period shorter than any large moon in the solar system, spinning faster even than Jupiter's Great Red Spot completes its circulation.
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Haumea's 3.9-hour rotation period is so extreme that models predict its entire icy mantle could have been stripped away during its formation, leaving only a rocky core surrounded by a thin ice shell.
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At 3.9 hours per rotation, Haumea spins so rapidly that its equatorial velocity reaches approximately 273 meters per second, making it the fastest-spinning dwarf planet in the known solar system.
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Gravitational measurements suggest Haumea's rapid rotation generates centrifugal forces exceeding 5 percent of its surface gravity, making it the most rotationally-stressed known dwarf planet.
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Tidal heating from Haumea's rapid 3.9-hour rotation likely powers cryovolcanic activity on its surface, making it one of the few known geologically active dwarf planets.
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Haumea's extreme spin causes it to bulge at the equator, making it roughly 2,322 kilometers long but only 1,161 kilometers wide, creating the solar system's most elongated dwarf planet.
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Completing one rotation in just 3.9 hours, Haumea spins faster than any other known dwarf planet, causing its distinctive elongated shape.