User login
An eclipse happens when
one object blocks out
the sunlight to another.
The Moon passing in front
of the Sun is known
as a Solar Eclipse.
When the Earth casts a
shadow on the Moon,
it is a Lunar Eclipse.
Solar Eclipse
Makemake (pronounced Mah-keh Mah-keh) is a dwarf planet that was first discovered in 2005.
It orbits at an average distance of 45.8 astronomical units (AU), but can reach as close as 38.5 AU and as far out as 53.1 AU. This gives Makemake an orbital period of around 310 years.
Its radius is roughly three-quarters that of Pluto. Makemake has no known moons and observations suggest an extremely low average temperature of around -243°C (or 30K).
Makemake is also a type of plutoid. These are dwarf planets that circle the Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune.
| Facts and Figures | Ceres | Pluto | Haumea | Makemake | Eris |
| Orbital distance (AU)1 | 2.77 | 39.5 | 43.1 | 45.8 | 67.7 |
| Orbital Inclination | 10.6° | 17.1° | 28.2° | 29° | 44° |
| Radius (KM) | 487 | 1,137 | 1,436 | 750 | 1,300 |
| Mass (Earth Masses)2 | 0.00016 | 0.00213 | 0.0007 | 0.0007 | 0.003 |
| Year Length (Earth Years) | 4.6 | 248.5 | 283.3 | 309.9 | 557 |
| Day Length (Earth Days) | 0.38 | 6.39 | 0.16 | Unknown | Unknown |
| Surface Gravity (g)3 | 0.003 | 0.04 | 0.044 | 0.05 | 0.08 |
| Surface Temperature | about -105°C | about -230°C | about -240°C | about -243°C | about -240°C |
| Number of moons | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
