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| Makemake (dwarf planet) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Makemake |
Makemake (dwarf planet) is a trans-Neptunian object in the Kuiper Belt discovered in the early 21st century and classified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union. It is one of the largest known icy bodies beyond Neptune, studied via telescopes and stellar occultations, and has a small satellite that helped determine its mass and density.
Makemake was discovered during a wide-field survey for distant Solar System objects conducted by teams operating telescopes such as the Palomar Observatory and instruments used by Mike Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz. The discovery followed techniques refined from surveys that found Eris (dwarf planet), Haumea, and Quaoar, relying on CCD imaging, image subtraction, and motion detection used in programs associated with California Institute of Technology and surveys tied to the Samuel Oschin Telescope. Announcements were coordinated with organizations including the International Astronomical Union and publicized through institutions like the American Astronomical Society.
The provisional designation assigned upon discovery followed the nomenclature system established by the Minor Planet Center and later received the permanent name drawn from Rapa Nui mythology, honoring a creator deity associated with Easter Island; the naming was approved by the International Astronomical Union following conventions used for Pluto and other trans-Neptunian objects. The choice echoed prior names such as Eris (dwarf planet), Haumea, and Ceres, reflecting traditions discussed at meetings of the IAU General Assembly.
Makemake orbits the Sun in the scattered/Kuiper Belt population with an orbital period similar to other large plutinos and classical belt objects like Quaoar and Sedna (dwarf planet), exhibiting an inclination and eccentricity measured using astrometry from facilities including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Very Large Telescope, and the Subaru Telescope. Its orbital parameters were refined through observations coordinated by the Minor Planet Center and analyzed in surveys published by researchers at Caltech and University of Arizona. Photometric lightcurves from observatories such as Mauna Kea Observatories and programs associated with NOIRLab provided constraints on rotational period and pole orientation, comparable to rotational studies of Haumea and Eris (dwarf planet).
Measurements combining thermal infrared observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Herschel Space Observatory with stellar occultation timing yielded estimates of Makemake's size, albedo, and approximate density. Derived parameters place it among the largest Kuiper Belt objects, comparable to Pluto, Eris (dwarf planet), and Haumea, though smaller than Ganymede and Titan. Mass determinations improved after detection of a satellite, allowing comparisons with models developed at institutions like NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and teams including Mike Brown's group at California Institute of Technology.
Spectroscopy from instruments on the Keck Observatory, the Very Large Telescope, and the Infrared Space Observatory revealed surface ices dominated by methane, with signatures comparable to spectra of Triton and Pluto. Detection of methane, and possible traces of ethane or nitrogen, was interpreted using laboratory spectra from groups associated with NASA Ames Research Center and university laboratories at Arizona State University and Brown University. Albedo contrasts and color measurements made with the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes were analyzed alongside comparisons to the surfaces of Charon and Eris (dwarf planet).
Searches for a transient atmosphere used stellar occultation campaigns organized by teams from Paris Observatory, University College London, and South African Astronomical Observatory, analogously to occultation studies of Pluto and Triton. While Makemake shows tenuous or undetectable atmospheric signatures in many observations, seasonal sublimation of surface ices and thermal modeling conducted at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggest potential temporary exospheres driven by solar insolation at aphelion and perihelion, similar to processes inferred for Pluto.
A small satellite was discovered in observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and follow-up imaging by the Keck Observatory, enabling calculation of Makemake's mass and bulk density through orbital analysis, paralleling methods used for Pluto–Charon and Eris (dwarf planet). Searches for additional moons and ring material were conducted by teams at European Southern Observatory and NOIRLab, analogous to ring detections around Chariklo and Haumea, but no dense ring system has been confirmed.
Makemake has been observed extensively by large ground-based observatories including Keck Observatory, Very Large Telescope, and Subaru Telescope, and by space telescopes such as Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Herschel Space Observatory. Occultation campaigns coordinated by networks including the International Occultation Timing Association and professional-amateur collaborations provided high-precision size and shape constraints. Although no dedicated spacecraft missions have visited Makemake, mission concepts discussed at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, European Space Agency, and meetings of the Division for Planetary Sciences consider flyby opportunities similar to New Horizons's exploration of Pluto.