
Objects orbiting the Sun outside the orbit of Neptune are named after mythological figures, particularly those associated with creation. But the subset that orbit in a two-to-three resonance with Neptune -- the so-called "plutinos", such as Pluto and Orcus -- are named after figures associated with the underworld. In this case, the five TNOs, ordered by distance from the sun, are named:
- Orcus: the Etruscan and Roman god of the underworld.
- Haumea: the Hawaiian goddess of fertility; the telescope used to discover this object is located on Hawaiʻi.
- Quaoar: an important mythological figure of the Tongva, the indigenous people who originally occupied the land where CalTech is located.
- Makemake: the creator god of the Rapanui of Easter Island.
- Gonggong: a destructive Chinese water god.
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