DWARF

Makemake is partly responsible for Pluto’s controversial change in planetary status

Reported by Daisy Dobrijevic

Makemake is a dwarf planet in the outer Solar System. It was the fourth body to be identified as a dwarf planet. Makemake is large and bright enough to be studied by a high-end amateur telescope. Makemake was first observed in March 2005 by a team of astronomers at the Palomar Observatory in California. Provisionally known as 2005 FY 9 , the tiny planetoid was nicknamed Easterbunny by the group. The team was also responsible for the discovery of dwarf planet Eris and involved in the controversial discovery of the dwarf planet Haumea. Makemake is named for the god of fertility in Rapa Nui mythology. The Rapa Nui live on Easter Island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Makemake was the chief god, the creator of humanity and the god of fertility.

Makemake is the second-brightest known object in the outer Solar System, just slightly dimmer than Pluto. At 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) wide, it’s about two-thirds the size of the more well-known dwarf planet. It orbits beyond the range of Pluto, but closer to the Sun than Eris, taking approximately 305 Earth years to circle the Sun. Makemake is reddish-brown in colour, leading scientists to conclude that it contains a layer of methane at its surface, possibly in pellets. Signs of frozen ethane and frozen nitrogen have also been determined.