Cosmic Scale
Makemake
Dwarf planet · 6.8 billion km from the Sun
How big is Makemake?
Makemake is about 1,430 km across.
See Makemake in 3D, at true scale
Makemake is a bright, reddish world of methane ice in the Kuiper Belt, discovered shortly after Easter 2005 and nicknamed 'Easterbunny' before it was named after the creator god of Rapa Nui.
At a glance
| Diameter | 1,430 km |
|---|---|
| Mass | 3.10 × 10²¹ kg |
| Diameter compared with Earth | 0.112 × Earth |
| Orbit | 305 years |
| Surface | Methane and ethane ice, −240 °C |
| Moons | One, found in 2016 |
| Discovered | 2005 |
Good to know
- Its discovery, along with Eris, forced the debate that redefined what counts as a planet.
- Its moon MK2 is very dark, which is why it went unnoticed for eleven years.
- It has no thick atmosphere, unlike Pluto — a surprise when astronomers watched it pass in front of a star.