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Updated at 3:36 p.m., Friday, September 19, 2008

Dwarf planet given Hawaiian name, Haumea

Associated Press

A newly discovered dwarf planet in the solar system is being given a Hawaiian name: Haumea, the goddess of earth and fertility.

Haumea's name was approved Wednesday by the International Astronomical Union in Paris.

It is the solar system's fifth dwarf planet, in the same category and region as Pluto.

Unlike other round planets, Haumea is shaped like a fat cigar or an elongated egg.

Astronomers think its shape comes from its rapid rotation, which could have been caused by a collision with another object billions of years ago.

Haumea is orbited by two moons, Hiiaka and Namaka, named after two children of the goddess.

The discovery of Haumea was announced in mid-2005, and it was previously known as 2003 EL61.