Posted on 12/31/2022 1:12:41 PM PST by MtnClimber
xplanation: Makemake (sounds like MAH-kay MAH-kay), second brightest dwarf planet of the Kuiper belt, has a moon. Nicknamed MK2, Makemake's moon reflects sunlight with a charcoal-dark surface, about 1,300 times fainter than its parent body. Still, in 2016 it was spotted in Hubble Space Telescope observations intended to search for faint companions with the same technique used to find the small satellites of Pluto. Just as for Pluto and its satellites, further observations of Makemake and orbiting moon will measure the system's mass and density and allow a broader understanding of the distant worlds. About 160 kilometers (100 miles) across compared to Makemake's 1,400 kilometer diameter, MK2's relative size and contrast are shown in this artist's vision. An imagined scene of an unexplored frontier of the Solar System, it looks back from a spacecraft's vantage as the dim Sun shines along the Milky Way. Of course, the Sun is over 50 times farther from Makemake than it is from planet Earth.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
Looks cold, no need for sunblock though.
I remember when Pluto’s moon, Charon, was discovered-it was a big deal.
Now it’s “Uh, ok…”
Makemake
Is that on Oahu? I must have missed it on my last visit.
How did mahi mahi get into space?
There’s a joke somewhere in there.
5.56mm
Dim sum
I think most normal people still consider Pluto a planet.
Your average mouth breather is interested Tom and Giselle and cannot pronounce Kuiper belt.
It's like Likelike, only different.
Gotta know which frequency to tune in.
Artist’s rendering, as they usually are
A pretty lame "picture" if you ask me.
How do we know that there are not tiny aliens living on the planetoid?...
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