Today’s NASA image of the day is a mesmerizing snapshot of the second brightest Kuiper belt dwarf planet, Makemake, with its moon.
You will be surprised to know that Makemake holds an important place in the history of solar system research. Reason? Makemake, along with Eris, is one of the objects whose discovery has prompted the International Astronomical Union to rethink the definition of a planet and spur the creation of a new group of dwarf planets. The Kuiper Belt, a donut-shaped region of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune, is home to the dwarf planet Makemake. Makemake is the second-brightest object in the Kuiper Belt as seen from Earth, while Pluto is the brightest.
NASA’s image of the day is nothing more than a mesmerizing image of Makemake with its moon. NASA explains, “Makemake, the second brightest dwarf planet of the Kuiper belt, has a moon. Nickname MK2, Makemake’s moon reflects sunlight with a charcoal-dark surface, about 1300 times dimmer than its parent body.” NASA further reveals that Makemake’s moon has been discovered by Hubble Space Telescope 2016.
“Approximately 160 km (100 mi) long compared to Makemake’s 1400 km diameter, the MK2’s relative size and contrast are reflected in this artist’s vision. An imaginary view of the unexplored frontier of the Solar System, which looks back from the spacecraft’s vantage point as the dim Sun shines across the Milky Way,” said NASA. The reason for its faint appearance is that the Sun is 50 times farther from Makemake than Earth.
Makemake is so special!
Makemake takes about 305 Earth years to make one trip around the Sun. As Makemake orbits the Sun, it completes one revolution every 22 and a half hours, making its day length similar to Earth and Mars. Observing Makemake and its moon MK 2, as well as for Pluto and its moons, will measure the system’s mass and density and enable a broader understanding of distant worlds.
