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Artist’s Concept of Kuiper Belt Object 2003 UB313 (Annotated)

Artist's Concept of Kuiper Belt Object 2003 UB313 (Annotated)
This is an artist's concept of Kuiper Belt object 2003 UB313 (nicknamed "Xena") and its satellite Gabrielle. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observed Xena with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on Dec. 9 and 10, 2005. The Hubble measurements of Xena yielded a diameter of 1,490 miles (with an uncertainty of 60 miles). Pluto's diameter is only 1,422 miles.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    01h 35m 37s.64
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -05° 39' 57 ".7
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    10 billion miles away (16 billion kilometers)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    2003 UB313, "Xena"
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Kuiper Belt Object
  • Release Date
    April 11, 2006
  • Science Release
    Hubble Finds ‘Tenth Planet’ is Slightly Larger than Pluto
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and A. Schaller

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Related Images & Videos

Artist's Concept of Kuiper Belt Object 2003 UB313 (Non-Annotated)

Artist's Concept of Kuiper Belt Object 2003 UB313 (Non-Annotated)

This is an artist's concept of Kuiper Belt object 2003 UB313 (nicknamed "Xena") and its satellite "Gabrielle." Ground-based observations suggested that Xena was about 30 percent greater in diameter than Pluto, but Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys images, taken on Dec. 9 and...

Kuiper Belt Object 2003 UB313

Kuiper Belt Object 2003 UB313

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This is a photo illustration of the largest known Kuiper Belt objects. "Xena," officially catalogued at 2003 UB313, is slightly larger than Pluto.

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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