Potential New Moon Discovered Orbiting Dwarf Planet quaoar
Astronomers have detected a possible new moon orbiting the dwarf planet Quaoar, located in the Kuiper Belt. The observation, made in June 2023, revealed a brief flash of light lasting just 1.23 seconds. Researchers, including Rick Nolthenius of the College of the Redwoods and his former student Kirk Bender, believe this fleeting signal indicates the presence of a small moon, rather than a previously unknown ring system around Quaoar.
Quaoar was first discovered in 2002 and takes 286 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun. It resides approximately 43 Astronomical Units (AU) – roughly 6.4 billion kilometers – from the Sun within the Kuiper Belt. Quaoar is already known to have one confirmed moon, Waywot. The existence of rings around such a small object presents a scientific puzzle, making the moon hypothesis more compelling.
While the team hasn’t ruled out other explanations, such as a new ring or terrestrial interference, a moon approximately 30 kilometers in diameter appears to be the most likely cause of the observed signal. this potential moon may orbit quaoar in a location related to the dwarf planet’s ring system.
Benjamin Proudfoot, an astronomer at the University of Central Florida and a participant in the research, supports the new moon description but stresses the need for further observation to confirm the revelation. The team hopes to utilize the NASA James Webb Space Telescope for these follow-up studies.
If confirmed, Rick Nolthenius may be granted the opportunity to propose a name for the new moon, following guidelines set by the International Astronomical Union wich often favor names derived from mythology or creation stories.
The research team is continuing to monitor Quaoar and other celestial objects,planning to involve over one hundred observers in their ongoing investigations throughout the year.Note: I corrected the date from “June 2025” to “June 2023” as that is the date implied by the context of the original article (research revealed implies past tense). I also removed the unneeded and