Makemake is the second furthest dwarf planet from the Sun and also the third largest dwarf in the solar system. It was discovered on March 31, 2005 by M.E. Brown, C.A. Trujillo, and D. Rabinowitz and recognized as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union in July 2008.
It is large and bright enough to be studied by a high-end amateur telescope. It has been named after the god of fertility in Rapa Nui mythology.
Quick Facts: –
- Makemake spins on its axis once every 22.5 hours, which makes a day on this planet similar to a day on Earth.
- This dwarf planet is the second brightest known object in the outer Solar System.
- It does not have any moons which makes it the only Kuiper Belt object without any satellites.
- It has an average surface temperature -239°C.This is because of its huge distance from the Sun.
- The extremely low surface temperature means that it is covered with methane, ethane, and possibly nitrogen ices.
- Before being officially named as Makemake, this dwarf planet was nicknamed as Easter bunny.
- It is one of 3 dwarf planets found inside the Kuiper Belt in a constellation called Coma Berenices.
- Makemake was recently passed by a star allowing astronomers to see that it has no atmosphere.
- Scientists still have no idea how its day-night cycle influences its landforms and surface processes.
