Varuna

Varuna is a name used for several subjects in mythology and astronomy. The term comes from Sanskrit and is most widely associated with a major deity in Hinduism. In ancient Vedic and post-Vedic literature, Varuna is the god of the sky and waters, keeper of cosmic order (rita), and guardian of moral law and oaths. Varuna is traditionally invoked for truth and righteousness and is sometimes paired with Mitra as a dual representation of celestial and social order. Iconography and prominence vary across texts and eras; in later Hindu practice Varuna’s cult declines while other deities become more central in popular worship.

In astronomy, Varuna refers to a large trans-Neptunian object in the Kuiper belt. It was discovered in 2000 and named after the Hindu deity. Varuna has an estimated diameter near 900 to 1,000 kilometers, placing it among the larger known Kuiper belt objects. It orbits the Sun at roughly 43 astronomical units with an orbital period of about 284 years. The object spins on its axis in roughly 6 hours, and its light curve suggests an elongated shape. Spectral observations indicate a surface that may include water ice and complex organics, consistent with other outer Solar System bodies.

Varuna thus appears as both a major figure in Hindu cosmology and a notable distant object in our Solar System, illustrating how a single name can span myth and science.