Makemake

Makemake (officially designated (136472) Makemake) is a dwarf planet and a large Kuiper Belt object (KBO) in the classical Kuiper belt region. It is one of the largest known trans-Neptunian objects and the third-largest dwarf planet recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Discovered on March 31, 2005, by a team led by Michael E. Brown at the Palomar Observatory, Makemake was initially nicknamed "Easterbunny" due to its discovery shortly after Easter. It was formally named after Makemake, the creator god of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island.

Makemake is estimated to be about three-quarters the size of Pluto, with a diameter of approximately 1,430 kilometers (890 miles). Its reddish-brown color is believed to be caused by the presence of tholins on its surface, organic compounds formed by the irradiation of methane or ethane by ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. These ices also contribute to Makemake's high albedo, reflecting a significant portion of the sunlight that reaches it.

Unlike Eris and Pluto, Makemake does not have any known large moons. In 2016, a small moon provisionally designated S/2015 (136472) 1, later named MK2, was discovered orbiting Makemake. This moon is much smaller and fainter than Makemake itself.

Makemake follows a relatively inclined and eccentric orbit around the Sun, taking approximately 305 Earth years to complete one orbit. Its orbit places it within the classical Kuiper belt, a region of the solar system beyond Neptune populated by icy bodies.

As a dwarf planet, Makemake is massive enough for its own gravity to have pulled it into hydrostatic equilibrium (a near-round shape). Its classification as a dwarf planet signifies that it is not a satellite of another planet and has not cleared its orbital neighborhood of other objects.