Hubble Discovers Moon Orbiting Makemake

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Hubble Discovers Moon Orbiting Makemake

Post by bystander » Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:40 pm

Hubble Discovers Moon Orbiting the Dwarf Planet Makemake
NASA GSFC | HubbleSite | 2016 Apr 26
[img3="This Hubble image reveals the first moon ever discovered around the dwarf planet Makemake. The tiny satellite, located just above Makemake in this image, is barely visible because it is almost lost in the glare of the very bright dwarf planet. Hubble’s sharp-eyed WFC3 made the observation in April 2015.
(Credits: NASA, ESA, and A. Parker (SwRI) et al)
"]http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files ... 1618aw.jpg[/img3][hr][/hr]
Peering to the outskirts of our solar system, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a small, dark moon orbiting Makemake, the second brightest icy dwarf planet — after Pluto — in the Kuiper Belt.

The moon — provisionally designated S/2015 (136472) 1 and nicknamed MK 2 — is more than 1,300 times fainter than Makemake. MK 2 was seen approximately 13,000 miles from the dwarf planet, and its diameter is estimated to be 100 miles across. Makemake is 870 miles wide. The dwarf planet, discovered in 2005, is named for a creation deity of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island.

The Kuiper Belt is a vast reservoir of leftover frozen material from the construction of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago and home to several dwarf planets. Some of these worlds have known satellites, but this is the first discovery of a companion object to Makemake. Makemake is one of five dwarf planets recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

The observations were made in April 2015 with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3. Hubble's unique ability to see faint objects near bright ones, together with its sharp resolution, allowed astronomers to pluck out the moon from Makemake's glare. The discovery was announced today in a Minor Planet Electronic Circular. ...
Discovery of a Makemakean Moon - A. Parker, M. Buie, W. Grundy, K. Noll - (draft)
Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
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SwRI: Moon over Makemake in the Kuiper Belt

Post by bystander » Tue Jun 28, 2016 2:48 pm

Moon over Makemake in the Kuiper Belt
Southwest Research Institute | 2016 June 27

Faint moon was previously obscured by the glare of the icy dwarf planet
[img3="Credit: NASA/Hubble WFC3/SwRI/Alex Parker"]http://www.swri.org/press/2016/images/m ... system.png[/img3][hr][/hr]
A Southwest Research Institute-led team has discovered an elusive, dark moon orbiting Makemake, one of the “big four” dwarf planets populating the Kuiper Belt region at the edge of our solar system. The findings are detailed in the paper “Discovery of a Makemakean Moon,” published in the June 27 issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters.

“Makemake’s moon proves that there are still wild things waiting to be discovered, even in places people have already looked,” said Dr. Alex Parker, lead author of the paper and the SwRI astronomer credited with discovering the satellite. Parker spotted a faint point of light close to the dwarf planet using data from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. “Makemake’s moon — nicknamed MK2 — is very dark, 1,300 times fainter than the dwarf planet.”

A nearly edge-on orbital configuration helped it evade detection, placing it deep within the glare of the icy dwarf during a substantial fraction of its orbit. Makemake is one of the largest and brightest known Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), second only to Pluto. The moon is likely less than 100 miles wide while its parent dwarf planet is about 870 miles across. Discovered in 2005, Makemake is shaped like football and sheathed in frozen methane. ...

Discovery of a Makemakean Moon - Alex H. Parker, Marc W. Buie, Will M. Grundy, Keith S. Noll
Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk.
— Garrison Keillor

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