Dwarf Planet Makemake and Its Moon
In 2016, astronomers announced that they'd used the Hubble Space Telescope to find a moon orbiting the dwarf planet Makemake.
The moon (indicated with the arrow) was designated S/2015 (136472) 1 and nicknamed MK 2. It is more than 1,300 times fainter than Makemake, with a diameter of about 100 miles (161 km) across. Makemake itself is 870 miles (1,400 km) wide. The dwarf planet, discovered in 2005, is named for a creation deity of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island.
Makemake is a member of the Kuiper Belt, a vast reservoir of frozen material believed to be left over from the construction of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
Discovery of the moon reinforces the idea that most dwarf planets have satellites, and increases the parallels between Makemake and its fellow Kuiper Belt object and dwarf planet, Pluto.
For more information, visit: hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2016-18
Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Parker and M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute), W. Grundy (Lowell Observatory), and K. Noll (NASA GSFC)
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Dwarf Planet Makemake and Its Moon
In 2016, astronomers announced that they'd used the Hubble Space Telescope to find a moon orbiting the dwarf planet Makemake.
The moon (indicated with the arrow) was designated S/2015 (136472) 1 and nicknamed MK 2. It is more than 1,300 times fainter than Makemake, with a diameter of about 100 miles (161 km) across. Makemake itself is 870 miles (1,400 km) wide. The dwarf planet, discovered in 2005, is named for a creation deity of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island.
Makemake is a member of the Kuiper Belt, a vast reservoir of frozen material believed to be left over from the construction of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
Discovery of the moon reinforces the idea that most dwarf planets have satellites, and increases the parallels between Makemake and its fellow Kuiper Belt object and dwarf planet, Pluto.
For more information, visit: hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2016-18
Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Parker and M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute), W. Grundy (Lowell Observatory), and K. Noll (NASA GSFC)
Find us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube