Makemake
An icy mystery beyond Neptune
Makemake is a dwarf planet on the distant edge of the Solar System. It travels in the Kuiper Belt with many other icy worlds. Sunlight takes a long time to reach it and gives very little warmth. It is so cold that methane can lie on the surface as ice. From far away, the surface looks reddish-brown.
Scientists discovered Makemake using telescopes and later found a small moon beside it. Spacecraft have not photographed it nearby, so we do not know exactly what its mountains or plains look like. Scientists study its brightness and colour. Our illustration helps imagine a world that still awaits closer exploration.
Play space games → Explore in the planetarium →In the planetarium you can spin this world and look at it from every side.
Artist’s impression · the surface is an illustration.
Sources and images
Celestial maps: Solar System Scope / INOVE · CC BY 4.0. Thumbnails were reduced and shaded. Artistic SVG maps were created for this project.