Facts about Makemake's thermal properties
- 08
Observations from New Horizons suggest Makemake's crust contains water ice beneath its volatile nitrogen and methane layers, creating a thermal stratification distinct from surface composition.
- 07
Makemake's cryogenic surface lacks significant thermal emission in visible wavelengths, making it detectable only through far-infrared observations where its peak thermal radiation occurs around 100 micrometers.
- 06
Makemake's high albedo of approximately 0.77 reflects most incident solar radiation, resulting in minimal thermal energy absorption despite receiving sunlight at its distance from the Sun.
- 05
Makemake's extremely low thermal mass means its surface temperature can fluctuate by several Kelvin within hours of localized sunlight exposure despite its distance from the Sun.
- 04
Thermal imaging during Makemake's 2015 occultation revealed an unexpectedly sharp temperature gradient across its surface, indicating localized thermal heterogeneity despite extreme cold.
- 03
Infrared observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed that Makemake's thermal emissions suggest a surface composed primarily of nitrogen and methane ices with minimal heat absorption.
- 02
Makemake's methane ice coating undergoes seasonal sublimation cycles as the dwarf planet's elliptical orbit varies its distance from the Sun by approximately 13 astronomical units.
- 01
At approximately 40 Kelvin, Makemake's surface temperature ranks among the coldest in the Kuiper Belt, requiring infrared observation to detect thermal radiation.