Currently, sci.esa.int is under review and not being updated. For the latest information and news from ESA science missions and scientific results, please visit esa.int. For a comprehensive overview of ESA’s Science Programme and its missions, please refer to science.esa.int. For in-depth technical information aimed at ESA's scientific communities, you may also wish to consult cosmos.esa.int.

Asset Publisher

Back Quaoar Close-Up

Quaoar Close-Up


Depicts: Quaoar
Copyright: NASA and M. Brown (Caltech)

This photograph, taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys, is a close-up view of the icy world. Only Hubble's sharp vision can resolve the disk of this distant world, leading to the first-ever direct measurement of the true size of a Kuiper belt object. Quaoar's diameter is about 800 miles (1300 kilometers).

It is the farthest object in the solar system ever to be resolved by a telescope. The Hubble photo does not show details of Quaoar's icy surface because the object is too far away. Quaoar is about 4 billion miles (6.5 billion kilometers) from Earth, more than 1 billion miles farther than Pluto. The photograph was made by assembling 16 pictures of the object. Observations were made July 5, 2002 and Aug. 1, 2002.

Last Update: 1 September 2019
16-Mar-2026 21:15 UT

ShortUrl Portlet

Shortcut URL

https://sci.esa.int/s/wQ9pJKw

Latest Selection

Also Available As

Related Images

Related Videos

Caption & Press Release

Related Publications

Related Links

See Also

Documentation