• Key Information

  • Makemake

  • Type
    Dwarf Planet
  • Diameter
    888 to 918 miles
  • Distance from Sun
    4,222,962,896 miles
  • Orbit Time
    306.21 years
  • Length of Day
    22.826 hours
  • Temperature
    -402 °F to -380 °F
  • Atmosphere
    None
  • Date of Discovery
    March 31, 2005
  • Moons
    1
  • Learning Point
  • Makemake has a moon that orbits around it, and is one of the furthest objects we can see in our Solar System while using a good amateur telescope.
  • Project
  • Draw what you think Makemake and its moon look like.
  • Location
  • Located in
    Solar System, orbiting the Sun
  • Fun Facts
  • Makemake's name comes from the Rapa Nui god. All dwarf planets are named after the different creator gods of cultures around the world.
  • It may be that Makemake is more red in color, but is very unlikely to have a permanent atmosphere.
  • Clyde Tombaugh could have found Makemake if he had looked in the right part of the sky during the years he was looking for new planets.
  • Astronmers have looked back at old photographs of the night sky and found Makemake on them from images as old as 1955.
  • Makemake's orbit is inclined or tilted very high compared to the other planets.
  • Makemake's moon doesn't yet have a name, though it has been nicknamed MK2, and is thought to be about 110 miles diameter.