Who discovered Makemake and when was it found?
Astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz captured images of Makemake on the 31st of March 2005 using the Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory in California.
Questions about Makemake
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is the official name origin for Makemake?
The International Astronomical Union approved the name Makemake in July 2008 after Brown selected the Rapa Nui creator god of fertility from Easter Island mythology instead of other proposed names like Eostre or Manabozho.
How far does Makemake orbit from the Sun?
Makemake orbits the Sun at an average distance of 45.5 astronomical units and completes one revolution every 307 years with a highly inclined path of 29 degrees relative to the ecliptic plane.
What surface materials cover Makemake according to spectroscopic data?
Spectroscopic data collected by the James Webb Space Telescope reveals frozen methane dominates the surface while long-chain hydrocarbons including ethane, acetylene, and propane coat the ice in reddish-brown tholins.
When was the moon of Makemake discovered and what are its characteristics?
Astronomers Alex H. Parker, Marc W. Buie, William M. Grundy, and Keith S. Noll discovered the single known moon designated S/2015 (136472) 1 on the 27th of April 2015 using Hubble Space Telescope images.