Due to the lapse in federal government funding, NASA is not updating this website.

Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

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

Downloads

  • PDF
    (2.14 MB)
  • 3000 × 2250
    jpg (485.28 KB)
  • 200 × 200
    jpg (12.74 KB)
  • 400 × 300
    jpg (26.95 KB)
  • 800 × 600
    jpg (78.06 KB)

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

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope resolved Kuiper Belt object "Xena" for the first time and found that it is only just a little larger than Pluto. Ground-based observations suggested that Xena was about 30 percent greater in diameter than Pluto, but Hubble's Advanced Camera for...

Comparison of Kuiper Belt Object Sizes

Comparison of Kuiper Belt Object Sizes

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

Share

Details

Last Updated
Aug 17, 2025
Contact
Media

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

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Hubble Science Highlights

Hubble Images

Hubble News