Makemake is similar to Pluto with respect to its surface: it is highly reflective, covered largely by frozenmethane, and stained reddish-brown bytholins.[i] Makemake hasone known satellite, which has not been named. The orbit of this satellite suggests that Makemake's rotation has a highaxial tilt, which implies that it experiences extremeseasons. Makemake shows evidence ofgeochemical activity andcryovolcanism, which has led scientists to suspect that it might harbor asubsurface ocean of liquid water. Gaseous methane has been found on Makemake, although it is unclear whether it is contained in anatmosphere or comes from temporaryoutgassing.
No high-resolution images of Makemake's surface exist because it has not been visited up close by aspace probe. Makemake is so far from Earth that it appears as a star-like point of light even when viewed through a telescope. Scientists have expressed desire to send a space probe to explore Makemake because of its geological activity and potential subsurface ocean.
Several months before Makemake's discovery, Brown and his team had discovered the exceptionally large trans-Neptunian objectsHaumea andEris, which were thought to be at least the size of the then-ninthplanetPluto.[28] As they were in the process of planning further observations for both objects, the team originally planned to delay the announcement of Makemake to sometime after Eris's planned announcement in October 2005.[23]: 202 [27]: 133–134 However, this plan was upended when a team led byJosé Luis Ortiz Moreno atSierra Nevada Observatory in Spainannounced their own discovery of Haumea on July 27, 2005.[27]: 145 [23]: 207 Brown realized that his team's observing logs containing the positions of Haumea, Eris, and Makemake were unintentionally public and had been accessed by a computer at Ortiz's institution.[27]: 154–155 [23]: 211 Fearing that his team's discoveries of Eris and Makemake would be similarlyscooped, Brown contactedBrian G. Marsden of theMinor Planet Center (MPC) on July 29, 2005, to announce their discovery.[29][27]: 156 The MPC issued the discovery announcements for Eris and Makemake on its website at noonCalifornia time, followed by theCentral Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams later that evening.[23]: 210 [30][26] The announcement of these Pluto-sized objects prompted widespread debate overwhat should be considered a planet,[25] which motivated theInternational Astronomical Union (IAU) to createa new definition ofplanet that reclassified Pluto as adwarf planet in August 2006.[31][32]
This dwarf planet is named afterMakemake, the creator of humanity andgod of fertility in the myths of theRapa Nui people native toEaster Island.[6] It has theminor planet catalog number of 136472, which was given by the MPC on September 7, 2005 after the object's orbit became well determined.[33][34] Before Makemake was named, it was known by itsprovisional designation2005 FY9, which was given by the MPC when its discovery was announced.[30][6] Makemake was also previously known by its nickname "Easterbunny",[k] given by Brown's team as a reference to the object's time of discovery shortly afterEaster, and the codename "K05331A", which was automatically assigned by Brown's computer software when he discovered it.[23][7]
In his personal writings and interviews, Brown recounted that deciding on Makemake's name was difficult because the object's known characteristics at the time were not relatable to mythology.[7][27]: 246 [35][36] Wanting to preserve the object's connection with Easter, Brown had thought about naming the object after either theAnglo-Saxon goddessĒostre or theAnishinaabetrickster rabbitManabozho, but found both names unusable.[l] Brown and his team finally settled on the name Makemake, which satisfied both the object's connection with Easter and the IAU's rule for namingclassical Kuiper belt objects aftercreator deities.[32][37] The name of Makemake was approved and announced by the IAU in July 2008.[m]
A symbol for Makemake⟨⟩ was introduced toUnicode in January 2022, as U+1F77C.[38] The use ofplanetary symbols in scientific publications is discouraged by the IAU,[39] so the symbol for Makemake is mostly used byastrologers.[40] However, the symbol was used once byNASA, in an infographic published in 2015.[41][40]: 4 The symbol for Makemake was designed by Denis Moskowitz and John T. Whelan; it represents a traditionalpetroglyph of Makemake's face, stylized to resemble the letter 'M'.[42] Other astrologers have designed and used their own symbols for Makemake, such as⟨⟩.[40]: 5
Diagram showing Makemake's inclined orbit (gray) around the Sun, with the outer planets shown. The vertical gray lines along Makemake's orbital path mark its positions above and below theecliptic plane.
Makemake is currently near aphelion, the farthest point of its orbit.[16]: 9 It is52.7 AU away from the Sun as of November 2025[update],[45][21] and will reach aphelion in May 2033.[46] Makemake is currently positioned far above the ecliptic[47][44]: 212 and will remain so at aphelion, where itsecliptic latitude will be 25.9°.[46] Makemake will cross the ecliptic in 2103[48] and will come to perihelion –26° below the ecliptic in 2186.[11]N-body simulations show that Makemake's orbit is stable on a scale of billions of years and is unlikely to change significantly over theremaining life of the Solar System.[49]: 6–7
Makemake shares its orbital characteristics with many other small icy bodies beyond Neptune, which together to a region known as theKuiper belt. Makemake specifically belongs to the"dynamically hot" population of classical Kuiper belt objects,[n][44]: 212 whose orbits have high inclinations (i > 5°), relatively low eccentricities (e < 0.2), and are not inorbital resonance with Neptune.[50]: 21 [51]: 2 Makemake is the largest member of the classical Kuiper belt,[44]: 212 although it only constitutes a small fraction of the total mass off the belt.[52]: 8 [o] The hot classical Kuiper belt objects are believed to have beengravitationally scattered by Neptune in the Solar System's early history,[50]: 22 hence astronomers have also termed Makemake a "scattered" object.[53][54]: L98 [55]: 284
The scientific consensus is that Makemake is adwarf planet: that is, that it is massive enough for itsown gravity to make its shape spherical, but not massive enough toclear other objects away from its orbit, as demonstrated by its location in the Kuiper belt.[37][32] It was the first object named by the IAU under new procedures for naming objects expected to be dwarf planets, and the fourth object announced as a dwarf planet (after the originalCeres, Pluto, and Eris) since that category had been established in 2006.[m] Makemake is more specifically aplutoid: the subcategory of dwarf planets that orbit beyond Neptune.[6][35]
Comparison of sizes, albedos, and colors of various large trans-Neptunian objects with diameters greater than 700 km (430 mi). Makemake is shown on the top row, second from the right. The dark colored arcs represent uncertainties of the object's size.
Makemake is a nearly spherical object with anaverage diameter of around 1,430 km (890 mi),[12]: 2 which is about 60% (3⁄5) the diameter of Pluto[p][57] or 11% (1⁄9) thediameter of Earth.[31] This makes Makemake the fourth-largest known dwarf planet and trans-Neptunian object in the Solar System, after Pluto, Eris, and Haumea.[58] Observations of a stellar occultation in 2011 showed that Makemake is slightlyoblate or flattened at itspoles, with an upper limit in its polar diameter of around 1,420 km (880 mi)[q] and an equatorial diameter of around 1,434 km (891 mi).[12] These dimensions are consistent with Makemake having a flattened spherical shape known as aMaclaurin spheroid, which occurs when an object is inhydrostatic equilibrium (that is, the object's gravity is strong enough to compress it into a sphere) and is deformed by its rotation.[12]: 2 [17]: 5 [19]: 12
Makemake has a mass of between approximately2.5×1021 and2.9×1021 kg, a number determined from the orbital period and distance of its moon.[15]: 3 This makes Makemake the fourth-most massive known dwarf planet and trans-Neptunian object in the Solar System, again after Eris, Pluto, and Haumea.[59] Compared to other Solar System objects, Makemake is about 3.7% themass of Earth's moon (or 0.045% themass of Earth)[r] and around 20% themass of Pluto.[s] Given Makemake's mass and average diameter, its averagesurface gravity is about 0.35 m/s2[e] (about 3.6%Earth gravity)[t] and its surfaceescape velocity is about 0.71 km/s.[f][16]: 8
Therotation period of Makemake is uncertain, with measurements giving either 11.4 or 22.8 hours (0.48 or 0.95 d) as of 2025[update].[19]: 2, 7 These rotation period measurements were made by monitoring changes in Makemake's brightness over time, which is plotted as alight curve.[17][19]: 2 Makemake exhibits very little variation in brightness (0.03magnitudes) presumably due to smallalbedo variations across its surface, which makes it difficult for telescopes to measure Makemake's light curve and rotation period.[17]: 1, 6 For example, studies prior to 2019 suggested possible rotation periods of 7.77, 11.24, 11.5, and 22.48 hours.[17]: 1 For measurements as of 2025[update], it is unclear whether Makemake's brightness peaks once or twice per rotation, so it is unclear whether the rotation period is 11.4 hours or double that value at 22.8 hours.[19]: 2
Theaxial tilt of Makemake has not been measured, although it can be reasonably assumed that its rotation axis is aligned with the pole of its moon's orbit.[8]: 4 [61]: 16 In that case, Makemake would have a high axial tilt somewhere between46° and 78° with respect to its orbit around the Sun (or63°–87° with respect to the ecliptic), with its equator facing toward the Sun and Earth (nearequinox) at the time its moon was discovered.[8]: 3–4 This high axial tilt together with its eccentric orbit can give rise to majorseasonal changes in Makemake's surface temperature and terrain, similar to those seen on Pluto.[8]: 4–5 [61]: 16 Makemake's moon was predicted toeclipse Makemake sometime during 2009–2013 or 2023–2027, so Makemake may have passed equinox during either of those year ranges if its rotation is aligned with its moon's orbit.[15]: 1
Invisible light, the surface of Makemake appears very bright and reflective with ageometric albedo of 82% (more reflective than Pluto),[17]: 7 [18]: 5 suggesting that its methane is freshlydeposited.[61]: 15 [64]: 3–4 Makemake's methane ice is highlyabsorbent innear-infrared, which indicates that it either exists in the form of unusually large, centimeter-sized pellets, or more likely, thick slabs ofsintered particles.[31][65]: 3597 [64]: 16 Meanwhile,phase curve measurements by theNew Horizonsspacecraft suggest that theregolith on Makemake's surface consists of smooth grains resemblingsnow.[18]: 20
The long-chain hydrocarbons on Makemake's surface come from theirradiation of methane byultraviolet sunlight andcosmic rays, whichbreaks down the methane and triggersphotochemical reactions.[63]: 1 [16]: 2, 9 These photochemical reactions can cascade: transforming methane into ethane, into ethylene, into acetylene, and so on[65]: 3594–3595 until it leaves a dark, reddish mixture of complex hydrocarbons, calledtholins.[55]: 285 [64]: 4 These tholins give Makemake a reddish-brownish color,[i] similar to what has been seen on Pluto.[31][67] Makemake is less red than Pluto, but is somewhat redder than Eris;[18]: 5 the difference in color may be due to differing concentrations of tholins on these dwarf planets.[20]: 5475 Although tholins should darken the surface of Makemake, the dwarf planet remains bright because fresh methane ice covers up its tholins.[22]: 569 [61]: 15 [64]: 3–4
Makemake shares its high abundance of methane ice with Pluto and Eris, but unlike those two, Makemake apparently lacks bothcarbon monoxide andnitrogen ices.[64]: 1–2 TheJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST) could not find these two ices in Makemake's surface, indicating that it contains less than 3% nitrogen and less than 1part per million of carbon monoxide.[64]: 13 [16]: 1 Without nitrogen and carbon monoxide to mix with, methane ice on Makemake remains pure and can grow to large thicknesses or grain sizes.[55]: 288 [64]: 16 Makemake's lack of nitrogen is expected, because nitrogen is highlyvolatile and itsvapor can escape from Makemake's gravity more easily than from the stronger gravities of Pluto and Eris.[62]: 287 [61]: 16 [64]: 18 The reason for Makemake's apparent lack of carbon monoxide is less clear: it could have been removed via eitheratmospheric escape orhydrothermally-drivengeochemical reactions inside Makemake, or Makemake could have somehow formed with low amounts of carbon monoxide.[64]: 19 [70]: 10 [71]: 5 Water andcarbon dioxide ices are also apparently absent in Makemake's surface, even though they are commonrefractory (non-volatile) materials in Kuiper belt objects; this may be because on Makemake, these ices are completely covered by volatile material like methane and its irradiation products.[65]: 3598 [70]: 13
Makemake appears to have a uniform surface with very smalllongitudinal variations in albedo, color, and composition,[72][65][17]: 1, 6 in contrast to the highly mottled terrain of Pluto.[61]: 16 It is unknown whether Makemake showslatitudinal surface variations, as detecting these would require continuous observations of Makemake changing its aspect angle[u] as it orbits the Sun (in other words, change seasons), which takes many years.[17]: 6–7 [19]: 8 Makemake showed no change in itsabsolute magnitude and light curve from 2006 to 2017, during which Makemake's aspect angle changed by about 11°.[17]: 7 If Makemake has latitudinal surface variations, they would likely resemble bands running longitudinally across Makemake's surface.[61]: 16 Planetary scientistsWilliam M. Grundy,Alex H. Parker, and colleagues have hypothesized that Makemake's abundant volatile methane may lead to similargeography andgeology as Pluto.[61]: 16 [64]: 4 If Makemake has seasonal volatile transport processes like Pluto, it could potentially produce a longitudinally uniform band of dark material, akin to Pluto'sBelton Regio.[61]: 16 Alternatively, if Makemake has a non-global atmosphere that froze onto its surface, its equator could be bright and frost-covered, whereas its poles could be darker.[61]: 16 Seasonalsublimation and deposition of methane could potentially producebladed terrain or even thick,convecting glaciers resembling Pluto'sSputnik Planitia.[64]: 4 Makemake is not expected to have mountains taller than 10 km (6.2 mi).[17]: 6
Makemake has abulk density of about1.67 g/cm3 (with an uncertainty of ±0.17 g/cm3),[15]: 3 similar to the trans-Neptunian dwarf planets Pluto,Gonggong, andQuaoar.[59]: 7 Like for these dwarf planets, this density suggests that Makemake has an interior mostly made of water ice and rock.[59]: 7 [73]: 10 Makemake is large enough that its interior is likelydifferentiated, having a rocky core surrounded by layers of ice.[74]: 230 [75][73]: 8 Planetary scientists suspect that Makemake's interior contains enoughradionuclides andprimordial heat to sustain asubsurface liquid water ocean, in the past or potentially even today.[73][76] A high amount of heat inside Makemake could give rise togeological phenomena such ascryovolcanism.[77][19]: 4
Spectroscopy by the JWST has detected heavyisotopologues of methane containingdeuterium (D or2H) andcarbon-13 (13C) in Makemake's surface, for which astronomers have determined a deuterium-to-hydrogen (D/H) ratio of(2.9±0.6)×10−4 and a13C/12C ratio of0.010±0.003.[64] While Makemake's13C/12C ratio matches those of other Solar System objects, Makemake's D/H ratio is different: it is much lower than the D/H ratios of methane incomets, but is similar to the D/H ratios of water in comets.[64][78] Planetary scientists have interpreted Makemake's low D/H ratio as evidence for Makemake having a warm interior with activehydrothermalgeochemistry: Makemake's deuterium-poor methane may have inherited its hydrogen from geochemical reactions in subsurface water, which require high temperatures of 150 °C (302 °F) that could only be sustained by heat from Makemake's putative core.[78][73] In this scenario, Makemake's subsurface water may either exist in the form of liquid water or convecting solid ice, and internally-produced methane may have been transported to Makemake's surface viaoutgassing or cryovolcanic eruptions.[73] However, it is still possible that Makemake's deuterium-poor methane may be primordial (originating directly from theprotosolar nebula viaaccretion), so internal geochemical activity may not be necessary to explain its existence.[71]
Makemake emits an unusually high amount ofmid-infrared radiation compared tofar-infrared, which has received various interpretations by astronomers since its first reported detection by theSpitzer Space Telescope in 2008.[19]: 1 Astronomers initially thought that Makemake's excess mid-infrared emission came from patches of dark, warm terrain mixed with bright, cold terrain (and also from its moon after it was discovered), but this hypothesis could not accurately describe Makemake's infrared emission at differentwavelengths,[19]: 1–2 nor could it explain Makemake's minimal brightness variability.[79] In 2025, Csaba Kiss and collaborators proposed that Makemake's excess mid-infrared emission could instead be caused by either a cryovolcanichotspot reaching temperatures of about 150 K (−123 °C; −190 °F), or an orbitingring consisting of tiny carbonaceous dust grains.[19]: 1–2 [76] The cryovolcanic hotspot scenario is favored because the aforementioned dust ring would quickly destabilize due to solarradiation pressure, although the ring could potentially be replenished if cryovolcanic eruptions are able to eject carbonaceous dust into orbit around Makemake.[19]: 6 The proposed cryovolcanic hotspot may be emitting a similar amount ofheat energy as the south pole geysers ofSaturn's moonEnceladus, and it could potentially erupt cryolava containingammonia and varioussalts dissolved in liquid water.[19]: 4 [76] The location of this cryovolcanic hotspot on Makemake's surface is unknown, though it is estimated to cover an area of about350 km2 (140 sq mi; equivalent to a ~10 km or 6.2 mi-radius circle).[19]: 3–4
JWST detection of gaseous methane (CH 4)fluorescence in Makemake's near-infrared spectrum (left panel, labeled a). Either an outgassing methanecoma (b) or a thin methane atmosphere (c) can explain the observed fluorescence.
Analysis of JWST spectroscopy in 2025 revealed the presence of gaseous methane on Makemake, whichfluoresces in near-infrared due to sunlight absorption.[80][16] Makemake is the second trans-Neptunian object confirmed to have gas, after Pluto.[16][80] However, it is uncertain whether Makemake's methane gas is contained in a gravitationally boundatmosphere, or is temporarily outgassing (if not escaping) from its surface due to methane ice sublimation or cryovolcanic plumes.[16]: 1 [80] Makemake is barely massive and cold enough to theoretically hold onto an atmosphere of methane or nitrogen; JWST observations have shown that Makemake does not appear to have nitrogen gas, which indicates most of it had already been lost to atmospheric escape.[16]: 17
If Makemake's detected methane gas is entirely contained in a gravitationally bound atmosphere, then the surfaceatmospheric pressure would be roughly 10 picobars (1 micropascal), which is 100 billion times less thanEarth's atmospheric pressure and 1 million times less thanPluto's.[80] Such an extremely thin atmosphere was not detected in observations of Makemake's 2011 stellar occultation, which supports the occultation finding that Makemake lacks a substantial global atmosphere greater than 4–12 nanobars (0.4–1.2 millipascals).[16]: 9 [22][65] The temperature of this putative thin atmosphere would be about 40 K (−233.2 °C; −387.7 °F), which is slightly above the sublimation temperature of methane at this atmosphere's surface pressure. This raises the possibility that Makemake's putative atmosphere may be sustained by the sublimation of surface methane ice.[80][16]: 9 As Makemake follows an eccentric orbit, its putative atmosphere may change with distance from the Sun: for example, in the warmer temperatures of perihelion, Makemake may sublimate more methane but may lose some to atmospheric escape.[62]: L62
Alternatively, if the methane gas detected by JWST is coming from outgassing only, then it would suggest that Makemake is releasing roughly 266 kg (586 lb) of methane per second from 4–30% of its entire surface area.[16]: 9 It is unknown if the methane is being outgassed at speeds fast enough to escape Makemake's gravity. If methane gas is escaping, it would form a comet-like gascoma surrounding Makemake.[16]: 8 The estimated mass loss rate would be comparable to that of Enceladus's water plumes (300 kg/s or 660 lb/s) and the limited surface area of methane emission could be potentially related to Makemake's proposed cryovolcanic hotspot.[16]: 9 Cryovolcanic outgassing of methane has been hypothesized to be ubiquitous among large trans-Neptunian dwarf planets like Makemake.[81]: 5
Discovery images of Makemake's moon by theHubble Space Telescope from April 2015. The moon was visible on April 27, but had moved and become hidden by April 29.Animatedtime lapse of S/2015 (136472) 1 orbiting Makemake, as seen by Hubble during 2018–2019. Makemake appears smudged because its glare has been digitally removed to make the moon more visible.
Makemake has only one knownnatural satellite or moon, which is unnamed with theprovisional designationS/2015 (136472) 1 and unofficial nickname "MK2".[8][75] It was discovered by astronomersAlex H. Parker,Marc W. Buie,William M. Grundy, andKeith S. Noll inHubble Space Telescope images taken on April 27, 2015, and was announced on April 26, 2016.[47]S/2015 (136472) 1 is about 1,300 times (7.8 magnitudes) fainter than Makemake in visible light and is suspected to have a very dark surface with a diameter of 175 km (109 mi) in order to explain some of Makemake's excess mid-infrared radiation.[79][8]: 3–4 The moon follows a likelycircular orbit around Makemake with anorbital period of 18 days and asemi-major axis of 22,250 ± 780 km (13,830 ± 480 mi).[15]
WhenS/2015 (136472) 1 was discovered, its orbit was oriented nearly edge-on from the point of view of Earth-based observatories, which meant that the moon appeared to pass in front of or behind Makemake.[8]: 2 [15]: 3 Although this edge-on configuration made it difficult for telescopes to imageS/2015 (136472) 1,[79] it may have allowed the moon toeclipse andoccult Makemake.[8]: 4 [75] It is predicted that the moon may have eclipsed Makemake during 2009–2013, or may be still eclipsing Makemake during 2023–2027.[15]: 1 No eclipses byS/2015 (136472) 1 have been reported as of 2025[update].[15]
Imaging observations by the Hubble Space Telescope indicate Makemake does not have additional moons brighter than apparent magnitude 26.9 (~10 magnitudes fainter than Makemake)[v] at distances beyond 30,000 km (19,000 mi).[82]: 8 Larger moons could be hidden from the view of telescopes if they orbited very close to Makemake.[17]: 6 The possibility of Makemake having an additional dark moon larger thanS/2015 (136472) 1 has been discussed by astronomers as a potential solution for Makemake's excess mid-infrared emission and apparently slow rotation,[17]: 6 but it was disfavored because it required an unrealistically large moon size.[19]: 3
Makemake does not have any knownrings. Rings around distant objects are too small and faint to be directly imaged by telescopes, so they would ideally be detected in observations of stellar occultations.[83]: 27 However, rings were not detected in Makemake's stellar occultation from 2011. If rings do exist around Makemake, they would likely orbit around its equator in an edge-on configuration likeS/2015 (136472) 1, which could have made them missable to astronomers during the 2011 occultation.[19]: 5 The possibility of a ring around Makemake has been explored as a potential solution to Makemake's excess mid-infrared emission, but it was deemed unlikely because the hypothesis would require the ring to be made of extremely small (~100 nm) dust particles, which would make it vulnerable to destruction by solar radiation pressure within a decade.[19]: 6, 15 Nevertheless, it might be possible for Makemake to sustain such a ring if it hasshepherd moons, a continuous production of dust from colliding particles and small moons, or cryovolcanic eruptions ejecting dust into orbit.[19]: 6
Like other dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt, Makemake is believed to have formed early in the Solar System's history, about 4.5 billion years ago.[31][84] The dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt are hypothesized to have begun as smallplanetesimals, which grew to their present-day sizes byaccreting surrounding material and other planetesimals over a few million years.[74]: 214 The temperature of Makemake's formation environment must have been cold enough for volatiles such as methane to condense into solids and subsequently accrete into the dwarf planet.[64]: 3, 17 [71]: 3 However, Makemake may have lost some of its primordial methane during accretion because it initially had a smaller mass and a warmer temperature due to frequentimpact events and greatersolar irradiance.[73]: 9 It has also been hypothesized that at some point in Makemake's past, a massive collision with another body may have formed its moonS/2015 (136472) 1.[75]
According to a 2020 hypothesis based on Solar System formation models (an update of theNice model from 2005 that first proposed a similar scenario), a few tens of millions of years after the Solar System's formation,gravitational interactions among the giant planets caused Neptune to abruptlymigrate outward into a massivecircumstellar disk between 15 and 30 AU from the Sun,gravitationally scattering many of the objects within it.[85][86]: 176 The model indicates that nearly all Kuiper belt objects including Makemake originally formed closer to the Sun than where they are now, in that circumstellar disk.[86]: 175–176 [73]: 9 The scattering of this disk is thought to have produced the present-dayresonant and "hot"[n] classical populations of the Kuiper belt (where Makemake now resides) as well as thescattered disk.[86]: 176
In terms of visualabsolute magnitude, Makemake is the third intrinsically brightest known trans-Neptunian object, after Eris and Pluto.[87] Makemake owes its high intrinsic brightness to its large size and highly reflective surface.[w] In terms of visualapparent magnitude, on the other hand, Makemake is the second brightest trans-Neptunian object in the sky after Pluto, owing to its closer distance to the Sun than Eris.[25][68] Makemake reaches a peak brightness of about apparent magnitude 17 when it comes toopposition during March to April,[89][90] which is bright enough to be visible using a high-endamateurtelescope.[6] Because Makemake is very far from Earth, it appears very small with anangular diameter of about 38milliarcseconds,[22]: 568 so telescopes cannot resolve it beyond a star-like point of light.[89] In the sky, Makemake is located in thenorthernconstellationComa Berenices and has been there since its discovery.[90] In late 2028, Makemake will move to the constellationBoötes.[90]
Despite being one of the brightest trans-Neptunian objects, Makemake was discovered relatively late—well after the discoveries of many fainter trans-Neptunian objects.[44]: 212 This is because Makemake follows a highly inclined orbit that brings it far outside the ecliptic—outside where previoussky surveys had mainly been searching.[44]: 212 [91]: 1 Although various sky surveys have serendipitously detected Makemake several years before its discovery, these observations (known asprecoveries) were not recognized until after the fact.[1][x] The earliest known precovery of Makemake comes from aphotographic plate taken at Palomar Observatory on January 29, 1955, which predates Makemake's discovery by just over 50 years (16% of Makemake's orbital period).[1]
While moving across the sky, Makemake may pass in front of a background star and briefly block out its light from Earth's point of view, resulting in astellar occultation.[96] Stellar occultations by Makemake can reveal details such as its shape and potential atmosphere, but are difficult to accurately predict because the dwarf planet's great distance from Earth makes it subject to large uncertainties in its position.[97][22]: 566 Stellar occultations by Makemake are rare because the dwarf planet is located in a region of the sky with relatively few stars.[96] As of 2025[update], only one stellar occultation by Makemake has been successfully predicted and detected by astronomers.[98]: 5 The first and only observed stellar occultation by Makemake took place on April 23, 2011, which yielded 7 positive detections out of 16 participating telescopes located at sites scattered acrossSouth America.[96][22]: 566
Makemake (indicated with red bars) imaged by theNew Horizons spacecraft on October 6, 2007
Makemake has not been visited up close by aspace probe, although astronomers and planetary scientists have expressed desire to send one there.[73] Makemake has been recognized as an attractive exploration target because it potentially hosts a subsurface ocean with ongoing geological activity.[99][73]: 13 The exploration of a trans-Neptunian object like Makemake would provide insights to theformation and evolution of the Solar System.[100][101]
A 2011 study by Ryan McGranaghan and colleagues calculated that aflyby mission to Makemake could take just over 16 years using a Jupitergravity assist, based on a launch date of August 24, 2036. Makemake would be approximately52.3 AU from the Sun when the spacecraft arrives.[100]: 300 A 2024 study by theUniversity of Tennessee suggested that if a flyby mission to Makemake made use of apowered Jupiter gravity assist, it could reach Makemake within a shorter time duration of 9.6–16.4 years, depending on the spacecraft's payload mass.[101]: 17 A powered Jupiter gravity assist would be most optimal for launch dates of August 22, 2036 and September 27, 2048.[101]: 7
A 2019 study by Amanda Zangari and collaborators identified several possible flyby trajectories to Makemake for different gravity assists andexcess launch energies. For launch dates in 2025–2027 or 2036–2039, a single Jupiter gravity could bring a spacecraft to Makemake in 12.8–23.6 or 11.6–19.2 years, respectively.[102]: 922 A single Saturn gravity assist may provide a faster route for lower-energy launches: for launch dates in 2032–2033 or 2036–2040, a spacecraft could reach Makemake in 19.2–22.5 or 12.8–19.1 years, respectively.[102]: 923, 925 For launch dates in 2037–2049, a spacecraft could reach Makemake in 16.8–17.3 years using gravity assists from both Jupiter and Saturn.[102]: 923
Makemake was observed from afar by theNew Horizons spacecraft in October 2007 and January 2017, from distances of 52 AU and 70 AU, respectively.[18]: 6 The spacecraft's outbound trajectory through the Kuiper belt permitted observations of Makemake at highphase angles that are otherwise unobtainable from Earth, which enabled the determination of the light scattering properties andphase curve behavior of Makemake's surface.[18]
^abcdeThese orbital elements are expressed in terms of theSolar System Barycenter (SSB) as the frame of reference.[9] Due to planetaryperturbations, the Sun revolves around the SSB at non-negligible distances, so heliocentric-frame orbital elements and distances (such as those given inJPL's Small-Body Database[10]) can vary on short timescales.[43]
^Calculated using and the dimensions from Brown (2013).[12]
^abCalculated using the dimensions from Brown (2013)[12] assuming anoblate spheroid.
^abThesurface gravity in meters per second squared (m/s2) is calculated according to, whereG =6.6743×10−11 m3⋅kg−1⋅s−2[60] is thegravitational constant,M is Makemake's mass in kilograms, andr is Makemake's radius in meters.
^abThe surfaceescape velocity in meters per second (m/s) is calculated according to, whereG =6.6743×10−11 m3⋅kg−1⋅s−2[60] is thegravitational constant,M is Makemake's mass in kilograms, andr is Makemake's radius in meters.
^Pronounced as four syllables, with stress on thea's. Values of the vowels vary; see infobox.
^The classical Kuiper belt does not includeresonant trans-Neptunian objects likePluto andHaumea. Pluto would be the largest Kuiper belt object if resonant objects are included.
^abIn planetary astronomy, the term "red" is used to describe objects that reflect more light at longer (redder)wavelengths.[66]: 145 Astronomers have described Makemake and Pluto as similarly "red",[67]: L38 [68]: 437 although Pluto appears brown to thehuman eye.[69]
^Thecharge-coupled device camera that discovered Makemake was theQuasar Equatorial Survey Team (QUEST) camera, which had a ~8.3 square-degreefield of view with a 161-megapixel resolution.[24] It was installed onto Palomar Observatory's Samuel Oschin telescope in 2003, when Brown and his team's search for trans-Neptunian objects was still ongoing.[25][23]: 191
^Science writerGovert Schilling reported that Brown initially joked about nicknaming Makemake "Dead Pope" as a reference to the then-immminent death ofPope John Paul II, but was dissuaded by his wife Diane and instead opted for the less controversial nickname "Easterbunny".[23]: 202
^The name of Ēostre has already been used for the asteroid343 Ostara, so it could not be used according to the IAU's rule against duplicate names. For the name of Manabozho, Brown personally found it unappealing because of itssuffix-bozo.[32][7][27]: 246
^abThe IAU press release announcing Makemake's naming and classification as a dwarf planet was published on July 19, 2008,[6] but other sources includingNew Scientist, Space Daily, andThe Planetary Society have reported on this a few days earlier.[35][32][5]
^ab"Hot" in this case does not indicate temperature (Makemake is very frigid), but the dynamics of its orbit, which has been highlyperturbed.
^Jean-Marc Petit et al. (2023) estimate that the total mass of the hot classical Kuiper belt is 0.012 Earth masses (≈7.17×1022 kg).[52]: 8 Given Makemake's mass of2.69×1021 kg,[15] it is believed to constitute roughly 3.8% of the hot classical Kuiper belt's total mass.
^The exact flattening and tilt of Makemake's poles with respect to Earth's line of sight is not known, so the apparent polar diameter of1420+18 −24 km from the 2011 occultation only represents an upper limit to Makemake's true polar diameter. This is because in a stellar occultation, only the occulting object'sshadow is seen.[12]
^The aspect angle of a Solar System object is defined as the angle between the object's rotation axis and Earth's line of sight to the object.[103]
^The size of an object with a known brightness depends on its albedo. If a satellite 10 magnitudes fainter than Makemake has an albedo of 0.7, its diameter would be roughly 16 km (9.9 mi).[82]: 8 A smaller albedo would correspond to a larger diameter.
^Theabsolute magnitude (H) of a Solar System body is calculated according to the equation, which is rearranged from the original absolute magnitude and albedo (p) to diameter (D) equation given by Harris & Harris (1997).[88]: 451 In the absolute magnitude equation, larger values for both diameter D and albedo p give a smaller (and thus brighter) value for H. Mike Brown alludes to this relationship in his webpage describing the discovery of Eris, where he mentions that a dwarf planet can appear bright if it is either large, highly reflective, or both.[25] Makemake is both large and highly reflective.[17]
^Precoveries fromKleť,Palomar, andHaleakala observatories were reported to the Minor Planet Center a few months after Makemake's announcement in 2005,[92][93][94] while precoveries from theSloan Digital Sky Survey were reported much later in 2015.[95]
^abcdefghijklmnopT. A. Hromakina; I. N. Belskaya; Yu. N. Krugly; V. G. Shevchenko; J. L. Ortiz; P. Santos-Sanz; R. Duffard; N. Morales; A. Thirouin; R. Ya. Inasaridze; V. R. Ayvazian; V. T. Zhuzhunadze; D. Perna; V. V. Rumyantsev; I. V. Reva; A. V. Serebryanskiy; A. V. Sergeyev; I. E. Molotov; V. A. Voropaev; S. F. Velichko (April 9, 2019). "Long-term photometric monitoring of the dwarf planet (136472) Makemake".Astronomy & Astrophysics.625: A46.arXiv:1904.03679.Bibcode:2019A&A...625A..46H.doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201935274.S2CID102350991.
^Schwamb, Megan."The QUEST Camera".The La Silla QUEST KBO Survey. Yale University.Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. RetrievedOctober 23, 2025.
^ab"Naming Astronomical Objects – Minor Planets". International Astronomical Union. Archived fromthe original on July 7, 2013. RetrievedOctober 31, 2025.Objects, including dwarf planets, far beyond the orbit of Neptune are expected to be given the name of a deity or figure related to creation; for example Makemake, the Polynesian creator of humanity and god of fertility..." "Objects sufficiently outside Neptune's orbit that orbital stability is reasonably assured for a substantial fraction of the lifetime of the solar system (so called Cubewanos or "classical" TNOs) are given mythological names associated with creation.
^JPL/NASA (April 22, 2015)."What is a Dwarf Planet?".Jet Propulsion Laboratory.Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 24, 2021.
^abBarucci, M. A.; Dalle Ore, C.; Fornasier, S. (July 2021). "The Transneptunian Objects as the Context for Pluto: An Astronomical Perspective".The Pluto System After New Horizons. University of Arizona Press. pp. 21–52.doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816540945-ch003.ISBN978-0-8165-4210-9.
^abcdefghiGlein, Christopher R.; Grundy, William M.; Lunine, Jonathan I.; Wong, Ian; Protopapa, Silvia; Pinilla-Alonso, Noemi; et al. (April 2024). "Moderate D/H ratios in methane ice on Eris and Makemake as evidence of hydrothermal or metamorphic processes in their interiors: Geochemical analysis".Icarus.412 115999.arXiv:2309.05549.Bibcode:2024Icar..41215999G.doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2024.115999.S2CID261696907.
^abcdParker, Alex (May 2, 2016)."A Moon for Makemake".planetary.org. The Planetary Society. Archived fromthe original on October 21, 2018. RetrievedMay 2, 2016.
^"MPC Database Search: H < 3.8 and a > 20 AU". Minor Planet Center.Archived from the original on August 16, 2025. RetrievedAugust 16, 2025.22 trans-Neptunian objects brighter than H = 3.8 (smaller values of H are brighter)
^Tichy, Milos; Ticha, Jana (January 17, 2007)."TNO 2005 FY9".KLENOT Project. Kleť Observatory.Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. RetrievedOctober 16, 2025.
^Ortiz, J. L.; Sicardy, B.; Camargo, J. I. B.; Santos-Sanz, P.; Braga-Ribas, F. (May 2019). "Stellar Occultations by Transneptunian objects: from Predictions to Observations and Prospects for the Future".arXiv:1905.04335 [astro-ph.EP].
^Barucci, M. A.; Fulchignoni, M. (August 1982). "The Dependence of Asteroid Lightcurves on the Orientation Parameters and the Shapes of Asteroids".Earth, Moon, and Planets.27: 47.Bibcode:1982M&P....27...47B.doi:10.1007/BF00941556.
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