The small distant world called Quaoar, named after a god of creation in Native American mythology, is producing some surprises for astronomers as it orbits beyond Pluto in the frigid outer reaches of our solar system.
Discovered in 2002, Quaoar is currently defined as a minor planet and is proposed as a dwarf planet, though it has not yet been formally given that status by the International Astronomical Union, the scientific body that does such things.
Inhabiting a distant region called the Kuiper belt populated by various icy bodies, Quaoar orbits about 43 times further than Earth's distance to the sun. In comparison,, the outermost planet, orbits about 30 times further than Earth's distance from the sun, and Pluto about 39 times further. The ring, a clumpy disk made of ice-covered particles, is located about 2,550 miles away from Quaoar's center, with a diameter of about 5,100 miles .
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