Makemake, a captivating dwarf planet, resides within the enigmatic Kuiper Belt. It takes a staggering 310 years to orbit the Sun, with its distance ranging from 38 AU at perihelion to 53 AU at aphelion.
This icy world is currently the Kuiper Belt’s second most luminous object, following Pluto. During its 2009 opposition, Makemake boasted an apparent magnitude of 16.7, enabling even amateur astronomers to observe it through telescopes.
Credit: Alex H. Parker (Southwest Research Institute).
Infrared observations by the Spitzer Telescope and a 2011 stellar occultation facilitated accurate measurement of Makemake’s diameter, an impressive 1,500 km. This makes it the third-largest known body in the Kuiper Belt, following Pluto and Eris.
In an artistic depiction, Makemake and its moon are portrayed together. In 2016, the Minor Planet Center announced the discovery of a satellite orbiting the dwarf planet, observed via the Hubble Telescope in previous years.
Dubbed MK2, this moon is situated 21,000 km from Makemake’s surface and completes its orbit in just 12 days. Assuming it shares Makemake’s albedo and considering it is 1,300 times less luminous, MK2’s estimated diameter is an astounding 160 km.
Gerd Dani — Founder & Director Gerd Dani is the visionary in a wheelchair behind FreeAstroScience. An astronomy graduate and a master's in physics, he founded this blog in June 2020, driven by a passion for breaking down complex scientific and philosophical concepts into bite-sized, digestible pieces. As President, he is dedicated to making science accessible to everyone, from students to seasoned academics.
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