Facts about Makemake

1. 08

   Makemake's orbital period of 310 years means the dwarf planet has completed less than one full journey around the Sun since its 2005 discovery.

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2. 07

   Spectroscopic analysis indicates Makemake's surface contains nitrogen ice alongside methane and carbon monoxide ices, distinguishing it chemically from most other Kuiper Belt objects.

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3. 06

   The reddish coloration of Makemake's surface is believed to result from tholins, organic compounds created when ultraviolet radiation from the Sun interacts with methane and other ices.

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4. 05

   In 2016, observations revealed that Makemake possesses at least one moon, designated MK 2, orbiting at a distance of approximately 21,000 kilometers from the dwarf planet.

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5. 04

   Makemake possesses a thin methane atmosphere that freezes and collapses onto its surface during the dwarf planet's distant solar orbit.

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6. 03

   At roughly 1,430 kilometers in diameter, Makemake ranks as the second-largest known dwarf planet in our solar system after Pluto.

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7. 02

   Makemake's surface temperature drops to approximately minus 233 degrees Celsius, making it one of the coldest known objects in our solar system.

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8. 01

   Discovered in 2005, the dwarf planet Makemake orbits the Sun once every 310 Earth years in the Kuiper Belt.

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