Welcome to la Famiglia Makemake!

2005 FY9 (alias Easterbunny) aka minor planet # 136472 now has an official name, Makemake (left: artist rendition of planet by Ann Feild [Space Telescope Science Institute]). Makemake (pronounced MAH-keh MAH-keh) joins Pluto & Eris as the 3rd member named to the group of minor (dwarf) planets known as plutoids.

Makemake's name & official classification were announced by The International Astronomical Union (IAU) on Saturday 19 July 2008. Makemake is named after the Rapa Nui (the native people of Easter Island) mythology's creator of humanity, god of fertility & chief god of the "Tangata manu" or bird-man cult. IAU rules require Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO) like this to be named after creator gods.

Makemake was discovered on 31 March 2005 by a team led by Michael (Mike) E. Brown, professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Because the discovery was close to Easter they gave it the inital nickname of Easterbunny. Its official name was chosen by Michael Brown to maintain this connection to its discovery date.

Makemake's redish surface has a temperature of approximately 30 K. It is likely covered with methane & ethane ices. Its diameter is thought to be about 2/3rds that of Pluto's at between 1,300–1,900 km. So far no moons have been discovered. With an absolute magnitude of −0.48 & a current apparent magnitude of 16.7 it is just behind Pluto (15) in brightness for KBOs. It can be seen from some high end amateur telescopes. Its orbital inclination is 28.96 ° (see chart below for comparison). Traveling at 4.419 km/sec, it takes 113,183 days (309.88 yrs) to make 1 orbit of the Sun.

(Orbit color code: Makemake, Pluto, (136108) 2003 EL61, Neptune (1.767975° inclination for comparison Earth = 0.0°))

It wasn't that long ago that the only things outside of Pluto's orbit were probably comets, asteroids & maybe, just maybe a planet or 2. Now we have 3 major divisions of trans-Neptune objects, the Kuiper belt, scattered disk, and the Oort cloud (Öpik-Oort Cloud). My lifetime of 50+ years have seen huge steps in the understanding of the Solar System, the galaxy & Cosmos. The discoveries of stars, planets moons, etc via telescopes & various spacecrafts has been amazing. There have been surprizes raising several questions for each answer. & yet, so many scientists deny the existance of a creator.

Once again I can't help but think of 2 quotes from Psalms:

"I look up at your heavens, shaped by your fingers, at the moon and the stars you set firm." (8:3)

"The heavens declare the glory of God,the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork." (19:1)

I look forward to what new discovery is next that will again prove the truth that "In the beginning God created heaven and earth." (Genesis 1:1)

(Source: Fourth Dwarf Planet Named For Polynesian God)