Makemake

A frozen methane world in the outer Kuiper Belt with a tiny dark moon.

Orbits Sun 1 moons

Third-largest known KBO by volume.
Surface dominated by methane, ethane and nitrogen ices.
A small moon, provisionally designated MK2 / S/2015 (136472) 1, discovered in 2016.

About Makemake

Makemake is the third-largest known trans-Neptunian dwarf planet (after Pluto and Eris). Its surface is red-hued and dominated by methane and ethane ices, suggesting continuing photochemistry. A small dark moon provisionally designated MK2 was discovered in Hubble imagery in 2016.

Live · 3DSee Makemake in the Live 3D Solar SystemFly to Makemake and explore its orbit among the planets, moons & spacecraft in a full-screen interactive view.Launch 3D view

Physical Properties

Mean radius715 km

Mass3.1e21 kg

Density2.1 g/cm³

Rotation period22.8266 h

Bond albedo0.82

Mean temp34 K

Orbit

OrbitsSun

Semi-major axis45.6 AU

Eccentricity0.157

Inclination28.98°

Orbital period306.17 yr

Notable Moons

Gallery

Hand-picked mission imagery of Makemake sourced from NASA and partner archives. Click any photo for full resolution and source attribution.

Artist's concept: the trans-Neptunian dwarf planets, including Makemake. NASA/JPL-Caltech · Public Domain u2014 NASA Media Usage Guidelines

Imagery on this page is provided by the original mission teams. Full attribution terms: Image Rights & Credits.

Sources & Further Reading

Numerical values (radius, mass, orbital elements, temperatures) are drawn from NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheets, JPL Horizons, and the JPL Small-Body Database. Last refreshed: 2026-06-08 01:37:02.