Namaka’s Shadow: Catching a Tiny Moon Eclipse a Distant Star
Astronomers observed the first stellar occultation by Namaka, a small moon of the dwarf planet Haumea, revealing a minimum size of 83 km. This rare event helps refine Namaka’s orbit and hints at Haumea’s internal structure. The study demonstrates how brief stellar eclipses by distant objects can uncover key details about our solar system’s outermost regions.
Methane from the Beginning: A Primordial Origin for Methane on Eris and Makemake
Mousis et al. argue that the methane on Eris and Makemake likely formed in the early Solar System’s protosolar nebula, based on their high D/H ratios. Using disk chemistry models, they show that the methane’s isotopic signature matches a primordial origin, not internal production. This supports the idea that many outer Solar System bodies share common icy building blocks.