Astronomers Spot A Moon Orbiting Dwarf Planet Makemake

2016-04-27 15

Astronomers have long searched for a moon linked to the dwarf planet Makemake, but due to the bright orb’s intense glow, detecting a satellite has proven difficult. Thanks to the special, glare-busting talents of the Hubble telescope, the search is finally over.


Astronomers have long searched for a moon linked to the dwarf planet Makemake, but due to the bright orb’s intense glow, detecting a satellite has proven difficult. 

Thanks to the special, glare-busting talents of the Hubble telescope, the search is finally over. 

On April 26, researchers announced the discovery of MK 2, a roughly 100-mile wide lunar body spotted about 13,000 miles from Makemake. 

Alex Parker, one of the researchers, said, “Makemake is in the class of rare Pluto-like