Makemake

Makemake — dwarf planet, shown live in Cosmoscope, a real-time 3D map of the universe.

A reddish, methane-frosted world named for the creator god of the Rapa Nui. The second-brightest Kuiper Belt object after Pluto, yet so cold its surface may be coated in frozen ethane.

Radius
~715 km
Discovered
2005 — near Easter, hence its name
Year
~306 Earth years
Distance
38–53 AU
Moon
MK 2 — a tiny dark companion
Region
Kuiper Belt

Seeing Makemake in real time

Cosmoscope puts Makemake at its true position in the solar system, computed from JPL-derived ephemeris and updated continuously. Open the live 3D view to see, in real time, how far Makemake is from the Sun and from Earth right now, how many minutes or hours light takes to cross that gap, and how fast it is moving along its orbit. Scrub the timeline to place Makemake where it was on any past date, or where it will be years from now.

Interactive universe A living map of the solar system
Interactive universe
Waking the solar system…