Makemake
Makemake
Dwarf planet · 45.79 AU from the Sun
Makemake facts
- Type
- Dwarf planet
- Distance from the Sun
- 45.79 AU (6.85 × 10⁹ km)
- Orbital period (year)
- 310 Earth years
- Diameter
- 1,430 km
- Mass
- 3.1 × 10²¹ kg
- Moons
- 1
- Rotation period (day)
- 22.5 hours
- Mean temperature
- -239 °C
- Discovered
- 2005, by Michael Brown's team
Orbit
About Makemake
Makemake is one of the largest Kuiper Belt objects and a dwarf planet, slightly smaller than Pluto. Its reddish, methane-frosted surface reflects sunlight well, and it has one small, dark moon nicknamed MK2.
- Named after the creator god of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island
- Discovered: 2005, by Michael Brown's team
Makemake: frequently asked questions
- What is Makemake?
- Makemake is a dwarf planet in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun at an average distance of 45.79 AU (6.85 × 10⁹ km). Makemake is one of the largest Kuiper Belt objects and a dwarf planet, slightly smaller than Pluto.
- How far is Makemake from the Sun?
- Makemake orbits the Sun at an average distance of 45.79 AU, about 6.85 × 10⁹ km. One AU is the Earth-Sun distance, so Makemake is roughly 45.8 times Earth's distance from the Sun.
- How long is a year on Makemake?
- Makemake takes 310 Earth years to complete one orbit of the Sun, which is one Makemake year. By Kepler's third law, bodies farther from the Sun take longer to go around.
- How many moons does Makemake have?
- Makemake has 1 known moon.
- How big is Makemake?
- Makemake has a diameter of about 1,430 km and a mass of roughly 3.1 × 10²¹ kg.
- Why is Makemake a dwarf planet and not a planet?
- Makemake orbits the Sun and is round, but it has not cleared its orbital neighbourhood of other objects, the third rule the International Astronomical Union set in 2006. Bodies that meet the first two rules but not the third are called dwarf planets.
See Makemake in motion
Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.