| Object type | Dwarf planet (plutoid), classical Kuiper belt object[3] |
|---|---|
| Discovered | March 31, 2005 — Palomar Observatory[3] |
| Discoverers | Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, David Rabinowitz[1] |
| Mean radius | ≈ 715 km (444 mi) — about 1/9 of Earth's[1] |
| Mean diameter | ≈ 1,430 km (890 mi), ~60% of Pluto's[3] |
| Mass | ≈ 2.69 × 10²¹ kg (± 0.20)[3] |
| Average distance from Sun | ≈ 45.6 AU (≈ 6.8 billion km)[2] |
| Closest / farthest from Sun | ≈ 38.3 AU / 52.8 AU[2] |
| Orbital period | ≈ 306 years (NASA rounds to 305)[2] |
| Orbital inclination | ≈ 29° to the ecliptic[2] |
| Rotation period | 22.83 h (some studies allow 11.4 h)[2] |
| Surface temperature | ≈ 30–40 K (−243 to −233 °C)[3] |
| Geometric albedo | ≈ 0.82 — brighter than Pluto[3] |
| Known moons | 1 — S/2015 (136472) 1, nicknamed “MK 2”[4] |
| Peak brightness from Earth | ≈ magnitude 17 at opposition (March–April)[3] |
| Sunlight travel time | ≈ 6 h 20 min[1] |
Discovery: the “Easterbunny”
Makemake was first imaged on March 31, 2005 with the 1.22-meter Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory in California, by a team led by Michael E. Brown with Chad Trujillo and David Rabinowitz.[3] Because it turned up just after Easter, the team nicknamed it “Easterbunny.” Its provisional designation was 2005 FY9.[1]
The discovery was announced on July 29, 2005, the same day as Eris. Together, these Pluto-class worlds pushed the International Astronomical Union to write a formal definition of “planet” in 2006 — the decision that reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet.[3][1] In July 2008 the IAU named the object after Makemake, the creator of humanity and god of fertility in the mythology of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island.[3]
Size, surface and a possible ocean
With a radius of about 715 km, Makemake is the fourth-largest known dwarf planet after Pluto, Eris and Haumea.[1][3] Its surface is extremely reflective — a geometric albedo near 0.82 — and dominated by frozen methane, with ethane and other hydrocarbons produced when sunlight and cosmic rays break methane apart. Those reactions also build reddish tholins that give Makemake a reddish-brown tint like Pluto's.[1][3]
In 2025, James Webb Space Telescope observations revealed methane gas around Makemake, making it only the second trans-Neptunian object after Pluto known to have gas. It is not yet clear whether this is an extremely thin atmosphere or outgassing from the surface.[6] Other JWST results have been interpreted as hints of internal heat and even cryovolcanic activity, but these remain hypotheses under study.[3]
A tilted, 300-year orbit
Makemake circles the Sun at an average of about 45.6 astronomical units — roughly 6.8 billion km — in a moderately elliptical path that ranges from about 38.3 AU to 52.8 AU. One orbit takes roughly 306 years.[2] Its orbit is tilted about 29° from the plane of the planets, which is one reason sky surveys that focused near the ecliptic missed such a bright object for so long.[3]
It is currently near the far end of its orbit, with aphelion expected around 2033.[3] Sunlight takes about 6 hours and 20 minutes to reach it.[1]
Its small, dark moon
In April 2015 the Hubble Space Telescope spotted a faint companion, announced in April 2016 and designated S/2015 (136472) 1 (nicknamed “MK 2”). It is more than 1,300 times fainter than Makemake and was seen roughly 21,000 km (13,000 miles) from it.[4] Estimates of its size range from about 160 km (NASA) to about 175 km across, and its orbit takes around 18 days.[1][3]
Missions
No spacecraft has visited Makemake. NASA's New Horizons observed it from afar in October 2007 and January 2017, from distances of about 52 AU and 70 AU, gaining viewing angles impossible from Earth.[3] Mission studies have sketched flyby trajectories using Jupiter or Saturn gravity assists, with flight times of roughly a decade or more, but no mission has been approved.[3]
Much of what we know comes from telescopes: a 2011 stellar occultation observed from South America constrained its size and ruled out a substantial global atmosphere at that time.[5]
Can you see Makemake?
Honestly: not with binoculars or a beginner telescope. At its brightest — around opposition in March and April — Makemake reaches only about magnitude 17, which requires a large, high-end amateur telescope (typically with a camera) and accurate charts. Even then it looks like a faint star; telescopes cannot resolve its disk. It currently sits in the constellation Coma Berenices and is expected to move into Boötes in late 2028.[3]
The good news: the same patch of sky is rich in galaxies, and a starter scope will show you the Moon, Saturn's rings, Jupiter's moons and much more. Use our telescope picker to find gear that matches your budget and sky.
Read more
How Makemake helped demote Pluto
The 2005 discovery race, a leaked observing log, and the IAU vote that created the dwarf planet category.
Read →MK 2: Makemake's hidden moon
How Hubble found a dark moon in the glare of a bright dwarf planet — and why it matters for measuring Makemake.
Read →How to find Makemake (and what to look at instead)
What it really takes to spot a magnitude-17 dwarf planet, and the best beginner targets in the same part of the sky.
Read →Sources
- Makemake Facts — NASA Science
- Small-Body Database Lookup: 136472 Makemake (2005 FY9) — NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics
- Makemake — Wikipedia
- Hubble Discovers Moon Orbiting the Dwarf Planet Makemake (2016) — NASA
- Dwarf Planet Makemake Lacks Atmosphere (eso1246, 2012) — European Southern Observatory
- SwRI-led team discovers methane gas on Makemake (2025) — Southwest Research Institute
- Neptune Fact Sheet (orbit comparison) — NASA NSSDCA
- Coma Berenices — Wikipedia
Figures are rounded; where sources differ we note it. Spotted an error? Tell us.