Astronomy · Dwarf Planets
Makemake
A large, bright dwarf planet of the Kuiper Belt.
- Location
- Kuiper Belt, beyond Neptune
- Size
- One of the larger Kuiper Belt objects
- Surface
- Bright and icy
- Moon
- At least one known small moon
Rivi · CC BY-SA
Gallery
Makemake JWST NIRSpec spectrum
Near-infrared spectrum of dwarf planet Makemake, measured by the James Webb Space Telescope's NIRSpec instrument on 29-30 January 2023 (JWST Program #1254).
Nrco0e · CC BY
A bright Kuiper Belt world
Makemake is one of the largest dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt, the ring of icy bodies beyond Neptune. It has a relatively bright surface, suggesting fresh ices.
A distant, cold object
Orbiting far from the Sun, Makemake is extremely cold. Its surface composition is studied through the light it reflects, since no spacecraft has visited it.
A small companion
Astronomers have detected at least one small, faint moon orbiting Makemake, which helps in estimating the dwarf planet's properties.
Knowledge connections
How this connects across Asteria Star — scientific, cultural, and astrological links are kept separate.
Scientific connections
- Part ofSolar System
Related
- Member of groupKuiper Belt