General · EdgepediaOctober 20, 20262 min read

184314 Mbabamwanawaresa

184314 Mbabamwanawaresa (provisional designation 2005 EO302) is a trans-Neptunian object, a small icy body that orbits the Sun at a distance greater than the planet Neptune. It was discovered on 11 March 2005 by M. W. Buie at Kitt Peak (observatory code 695)⁴.

Key fact	Detail
Orbit	Semi-major axis 44.88 AU, eccentricity 0.1365, inclination 5.78 degrees¹
Orbital period	110,000 days (301.16 years), from 38.75 AU at perihelion to 51.01 AU at aphelion¹
Size	Diameter probably between 142.087 and 317.717 km, based on brightness and reflected light¹
Dynamical class	Listed as a hot classical cubewano, with an estimated albedo of 0.079²
Name	Mbaba Mwana Waresa, a Zulu goddess of rain, agriculture, the harvest, and rainbows⁴

Orbit and classification

The object follows a moderately eccentric orbit with a semi-major axis of about 44.9 AU, taking roughly 301 years to complete one revolution. It comes as close as 38.75 AU to the Sun and recedes to 51.01 AU, so its entire orbit lies beyond Neptune¹.

Trans-Neptunian objects in this distance range are divided into dynamical populations. Hot classical objects are those with higher eccentricities and inclinations, thought to have been scattered outward by Neptune's migration early in the Solar System's history, while cold classicals have low-eccentricity, low-inclination orbits. Catalogs of trans-Neptunian objects list Mbabamwanawaresa as a hot classical cubewano², although one astrological source describes it as a scattered disc object with a very low aphelion³.

Physical characteristics

The object's absolute magnitude is 6.3, or 6.36 in JPL-derived data¹. Because the diameter of a distant body cannot be measured directly without thermal observations or a satellite orbit, published size estimates vary with the assumed albedo: the TNO lists give about 253 km assuming an albedo of 0.079², while the brightness-based range runs from about 142 km to about 318 km¹.

Name

The minor planet is named for Mbaba Mwana Waresa, a Zulu goddess of rain, agriculture, and the harvest, who is also the goddess of rainbows, a symbol of the link between heaven and Earth, and is particularly revered for teaching the people of Southern Africa the art of making beer (Umqombothi)⁴. The name was assigned on 3 June 2020³.

Observations

The orbit is determined from observations dating back to the discovery date of 11 March 2005; the Minor Planet Center records 25 observations, with the last official observation on 19 May 2018¹. NASA JPL has not classified the object as potentially hazardous, because its orbit never brings it close to Earth; its closest possible approach to Earth's orbit is 37.70 AU¹.

References

Initially written Oct 20, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026