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The fourth dwarf planet has a name: Makemake!


By Jess Zielinski
Posted: 07/22/2008, 4:26 PM

The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the body that demoted Pluto, has now formally dubbed the object formerly known unofficially as "Easterbunny" and officially as 2005 FY9. The newest member of the dwarf planet family will be called "Makemake" — which isn't a redundancy or a child's happy gibberish. It's the name of the Polynesian creator of humanity and the god of fertility.

It's also pronounced "MAH-keh MAH-keh" and is one of the largest known objects in our outer solar system -- those objects that dwell beyond Neptune. Just a bit smaller and dimmer than Pluto, the dwarf planet is reddish. Astronomers think its surface is a layer of frozen methane.

Makemake was discovered in 2005 by a California Institute of Technology team led by Mike Brown. You may recall it has an important spot in the history of our solar system discoveries, along with Eris and 2003 EL61. The discovery of that trio of objects caused the IAU to reconsider the definition of a planet, prompting them to create the new "dwarf planet" category.

Because he was the man behind the plutoid find, Mike Brown got to name the object. He explains his reasoning thus: "We consider the naming of objects in the Solar System very carefully. Makemake's surface is covered with large amounts of almost pure methane ice, which is scientifically fascinating, but really not easily relatable to terrestrial mythology. Suddenly, it dawned on me: the island of Rapa Nui. Why hadn't I thought of this before? I wasn't familiar with the mythology of the island so I had to look it up, and I found Makemake, the chief god, the creator of humanity, and the god of fertility. I am partial to fertility gods. Eris, Makemake, and 2003 EL61 were all discovered as my wife was 3-6 months pregnant with our daughter. I have the distinct memory of feeling this fertile abundance pouring out of the entire Universe. Makemake was part of that."

Rapa Nui is also Easter Island -- so Brown means the name is a nod to the dwarf planet's first and unofficial "Easterbunny" name. And it's fertile origins. Makemake was "the chief god of the Tangata manu bird-man cult and was worshiped in the form of sea birds, which were his incarnation. His material symbol was a man with a bird's head," according to the IAU's press release.

Welcome to the solar neighborhood, Makemake.

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