Makemake of the Outer Solar System
Makemake is one of the largest objects known in the outer Solar System. Pronounced MAH-kay MAH-kay , this Kuiper belt object is about two-thirds the size of Pluto, orbits the Sun only slightly further out than Pluto , and appears only slightly dimmer than Pluto. Makemake , however, has an orbit much more tilted to the ecliptic plane of the planets than Pluto. Discovered by a team led by Mike Brown ( Caltech ) in 2005, the outer Solar System orb was officially named Makemake for the creator of humanity in the Rapa Nui mythology of Easter Island . In 2008, Makemake was classified as a dwarf planet under the subcategory plutoid , making Makemake the third cataloged plutoid after Pluto and Eris . Makemake is known to be a world somewhat red in appearance, with colors indicating it is likely covered with patchy areas of frozen methane . No images of Makemake 's surface yet exist, but an artist's illustration of the distant world is shown above . Careful monitoring of the brightness drop of a distant star recently eclipsed by Makemake indicates that the dwarf planet has little atmosphere .