Facts for Kids

Makemake is a dwarf planet located in the Kuiper Belt, which is a region in space beyond Neptune. 🌌

It was discovered in 2005 by astronomer Mike Brown and his team at the California Institute of Technology. Makemake is named after the creator god of the Rapa Nui people, who lived on Easter Island. Did you know that Makemake is the third-largest known dwarf planet in our solar system? It’s fascinating! 🌟

The discovery of Makemake helped scientists understand more about the Kuiper Belt and the objects that float in this icy region of space.

Makemake has one known moon called MK2, which scientists discovered in 2016. 🌙

MK2 is about 1,300 kilometers (about 800 miles) wide, which makes it smaller than Makemake itself! It orbits Makemake and is relatively dark compared to its bright parent. Scientists are excited to study this moon because it can give them more information about Makemake’s history and the conditions in the Kuiper Belt. Exploring moons is important for understanding how planets and their satellites interact with each other in space! 🪐

Makemake takes a very long time to orbit the Sun—about 305 Earth years! 🌞

This means that while it roams around the Sun, we walk around it many times. Makemake is located approximately 53.1 astronomical units (AU) away from the Sun. One AU is the distance from Earth to the Sun! 🚀

Makemake also spins very slowly. It takes about 22.5 hours to complete one rotation on its axis, which is similar to a day on Earth. That means a day on Makemake is a little longer than a day here!

In 2005, scientists discovered Makemake during a hunt for new objects in the Kuiper Belt. 🕵

️‍♂️ The name "Makemake" was chosen in 2008, following its discovery. This name honors the Rapa Nui culture of Easter Island, where the god Makemake was believed to create humanity and the world. 🌎

The discovery of Makemake was a big deal! It was also recognized as a dwarf planet in 2008, along with Eris and Haumea. Scientists use special telescopes to find and study these distant objects, helping us learn more about our universe!

The name Makemake comes from the creator god of the Rapa Nui people, who are native to Easter Island. 🌴

They believe that Makemake created humanity and the world. By naming the dwarf planet after this deity, it highlights the importance of indigenous cultures in science! This connection helps make astronomy more exciting and relatable. 🌏

People around the world can learn about different cultures while exploring space, showing how science can bridge different stories and traditions!

Makemake is about 1,430 kilometers (890 miles) wide. That’s smaller than Pluto, which is about 2,377 kilometers (1,477 miles) wide! 😮

Makemake has a bright surface made mostly of frozen methane and ice. Its color is reddish-brown, which is very unique! 🌈

Even though it’s far away from the Sun, Makemake reflects a lot of sunlight, making it one of the brightest objects in the Kuiper Belt. It also has a shape somewhat like a giant round ball, but it’s not perfectly round—more like a flattened sphere!

Makemake has a thin atmosphere, and it can get very cold there—around -243 degrees Celsius (-405 degrees Fahrenheit)! ❄

️ Scientists believe that Makemake might not have a permanent atmosphere like Earth does because it’s too small. However, it can have some gases around it that change depending on the temperature. Some bright spots have been spotted on its surface, which could be made of frozen ethane. These features help scientists learn more about its geology! Scientists use powerful telescopes to study them, revealing clues about the icy world of Makemake.

In the future, scientists hope to explore Makemake and other dwarf planets using powerful spacecraft. 🚀

No missions are planned specifically for Makemake yet, but scientists are very interested in studying it! They believe that missions like New Horizons, which visited Pluto, could provide valuable information about Makemake too! By sending probes to these distant worlds, we can discover more about their atmospheres, compositions, and histories, unveiling the secrets of the Kuiper Belt one day at a time! 🌌

Makemake is one of five officially recognized dwarf planets in our solar system: Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Ceres are the others! 🌟

Makemake is similar in size to Haumea but is brighter than both Haumea and Pluto. 🪐

At over 1,400 kilometers wide, it’s not as big as Pluto. Also, compared to Ceres, which is located in the asteroid belt, Makemake is much colder and more distant from the Sun. Learning about these differences helps scientists understand how unique each dwarf planet is and their roles in the solar system!