Discover the Cosmos: Top 11 Amazing Fun Facts About Makemake You Won't Believe!

1. Shiniest Solar System Object

If Makemake were to enter a "shiniest solar system object" competition, it would certainly bring its A-game and dazzling style: This icy Kuiper Belt superstar boasts a brilliant geometrical albedo of 0.82±0.02, thanks to its surface being smothered in fashionable methane, ethane, and possibly nitrogen ices.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Frosty the Snow Planet

Forget about the Abominable Snowman; Makemake is the Kuiper Belt's very own Frosty the Snow Planet: Boasting a surface that's shockingly bright and reflective, this dwarf planet owes its snowy charm to a layer of frozen methane, causing it to dazzle like a fresh winter wonderland.
Source => space.com

Discover the secret behind Pluto's heart-shaped feature, where a peculiar thermostat of frozen nitrogen creates intense winds and shapes its surface in mesmerizing patterns!

=> Fun Facts about Pluto

3. Kuiper Belt's Chill Station

If you thought your refrigerator was cold, you clearly haven't met Makemake – our Kuiper belt's very own chill station: Discovered in 2005 by Mike Brown and his astronomical posse, Makemake is the largest Kuiper belt object, donning a frosty surface coated in methane, ethane, and perhaps nitrogen ices at a stunning −243.2°C, without a single moon as its party guest, and named after Easter Island's deity of human creation and fertility.
Source => theplanets.org

4. Hide-and-Seek Moon Discovery

In a celestial game of hide-and-seek where Makemake once seemed to be playing by itself, a new contender has peeked out from behind the cosmic curtains: behold the discovery of S/2015 (136472) 1, or MK2, a moon at least 175 km in diameter, orbiting the distant dwarf planet every 12 days from 21,000 km away, shattering previous notions that Makemake was moonless.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Icy Rockstar Dwarf Planet

If Makemake were an icy rockstar, it would be topping the charts in the Kuiper Belt with its blinged-out ethane and methane ice outfit, only outshined by Pluto – who, let's face it, is the Madonna of the dwarf planet world: The mid-makemakening is that its icy ensemble is made of chunks up to half an inch in size, scattered across the surface, which renders it the second brightest object in its celestial neighborhood.
Source => space-facts.co.uk

6. Snow White's Celestial Cousin

If you thought Snow White was just a fairy tale, you'll be gobsmacked to learn about her size: Makemake, the fourth-largest known dwarf planet in our solar system, boasts a diameter of around 1,430 kilometers, making it smaller than Snow White and about a third the size of Pluto. Unlike its Disney counterpart though, this celestial being has a rather slow day with its rotational period clocking in at 22.5 hours, taking the phrase "lazy Sunday" to new heights, or rather, outer space. Speaking of color coordination, Makemake's surface rocks the same reddish hue as Snow White, but with a potentially explosive twist: it may contain volatile ices of methane, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen, similar to other dwarf planets.
Source => wired.co.uk

7. Blushing Red Beauty

Why did Makemake blush like a teenager on their first date? It's got its own unique reddish glow: This dwarf planet, a distant cousin of Pluto and Eris, has a surface dominated by frozen methane and ethane, with just a hint of nitrogen ice, and a rich dose of tholins in the mix, making it a celestial beauty with that bright red flush!
Source => universetoday.com

8. Moonstruck Celestial Romance

Who knew that Makemake was moonstruck? Just like a celestial rom-com, this distant dwarf planet has a little partner in crime spinning around it for eternity: Meet MK2, Makemake's modest sidekick. With a diameter of around 170 kilometers, this pint-sized moon orbits the icy world every 12 days or more, at an average distance of roughly 21,000 kilometers. The discovery of MK2 has scientists over the moon, shedding light on Makemake's mysterious history and formation.
Source => planetary.org

9. Razzle-Dazzle Red Outfit

Who needs Pluto when you've got Makemake cheering in the sidelines, positively glowing with pride? This little celestial show-off has an icy heart of methane, ethane, and a dash of nitrogen, giving it a razzle-dazzle of a red outfit: In terms of brightness, Makemake boasts an impressive geometric albedo of 0.82±0.02, making it one of the shiniest objects in the Kuiper Belt, and despite its smaller stature, it's certainly not afraid to shine.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

10. Cosmic Joke of Creation

Descending from the heavens like a cosmic joke, the celestial punchline known as Makemake got its name from the Rapa Nui god of creation, with the astronomers who discovered it definitely having a giggle or two: Seriously though, Makemake is a bona fide dwarf planet, discovered in 2005 using the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys, residing beyond Neptune's orbit with a highly reflective surface and a diameter roughly two-thirds that of our dear old Pluto.
Source => astrobackyard.com

11. Game of Thrones: Dwarf Planet Edition

In a dwarf-sized "Game of Thrones" going on in our solar system, even Makemake can't escape saying "ice and fire": The discovery of this chilly dwarf planet in 2005 revealed a surface bristling with solid ices of nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide, pointing to a thin atmosphere of these frigid gases hovering around -230°C. Named after the creation deity of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island, Makemake was first spotted by astronomers wielding their telescopes at the Palomar Observatory in California.
Source => rmg.co.uk