Makemake (dwarf planet)
Makemake (symbol .svg){kind=small}
;[1] officially known as 136472 Makemake) is a dwarf planet. It was discovered on March 31, 2005 by astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo and David Rabinowitz. It was announced as a dwarf planet on June 11, 2008, and the discovery of a moon was announced on April 26, 2016. Makemake is a Trans-Neptunian object, because it orbits the Sun further out than Neptune.
Originally the object was given a codename 'Easterbunny' as it was discovered shortly after Easter.[2] The International Astronomical Union gave it the name 136472 Makemake, the creator god of the ancient Easter Island people, to keep its connection with Easter.[3]
Makemake appears to be made mainly of ice and rock. However, at its very low temperature, ice is as hard as many types of rock.
In 2016, it was discovered that Makemake has a small moon.[4] Makemake's moon does not yet have a name. Instead, astronomers call it "S/2015 (136472) 1" and use a nickname of MK2. Its orbital period around Makemake is more than 12 days. The moon is about 87.5 kilometers across.
Makemake (dwarf Planet) Media
Makemake symbol (fixed width)
Orbits of Makemake (blue), Haumea (green), contrasted with the orbit of Pluto (red) and the ecliptic (grey). The perihelia (q) and the aphelia (Q) are marked with the dates of passage. The positions in April 2006 are marked with the spheres illustrating relative sizes and differences in albedo and colour.
Makemake's orbit outside of Neptune is similar to Haumea's. The positions are as of 1 January 2018.
Two images of Makemake and its satellite taken by Hubble two days apart in April 2015
Makemake, indicated with red bars, as imaged by the New Horizons spacecraft in October 2007
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References
- ↑ JPL/NASA (2015-04-22). "What is a Dwarf Planet?". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ↑ "Makemake - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ↑ "Planets, whats in a name?".
- ↑ Parker, Alex Harrison, et al. "Taking The Measure of Makemake's Moon." AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts. Vol. 48. 2016.
