Makemake, also 136472 Makemake, is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt and perhaps its second largest object with a diameter approximately two-thirds that of Pluto.[3]
Infos
Makemake is reddish-brown in color. It can travel as far out as 53 AU from the Sun and come as close as 38 AU over the course of its orbit.[4] Due to its extremely low temperature of 30 - 40 K, its surface is covered with methane, ethane, and possibly nitrogen ices.[3]
Moons
Makemake has a tiny moon nicknamed MK2 with a diameter of roughly 160 km, which orbits its body at a distance of about 21,000 km. It was spotted in observations made by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 in April 2015.[4][5]
Media
Notes
- Makemake was discovered on March 31, 2005 by a team led by Michael E. Brown.[3]
- Initially, the object was known as 2005 FY9. It was named "Makemake" in July 2008.[3]
- It is named after Makemake, the creator god of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island.[3]
See also
References
- ↑
www.windows2universe.org: Makemake Statistics
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 solarsystem.nasa.gov: In Depth - Makamaka
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4
Makemake on Wikipedia
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 www.space.com: Makemake - Dwarf Planet Facts
- ↑ www.spacetelescope.org: Makemake and its moon
External links