(136472) Makemake Trans-Neptunian Object
Discovered on 31 March 2005 by Brown, M. E., Trujillo, C. A., Rabinowitz, D. L. at Palomar.
Makemake is the creator of humanity and the god of fertility in the mythology of the South Pacific island of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island. He 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.Naming citation (20080718/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Makemake is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Makemake is 52.7 au from the Sun and 53.6 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 136472 |
| Provisional designation | 2005 FY9 |
| Orbit class | Trans-Neptunian Object |
| Rotation period | 22.8 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | -0.25 |
| Orbital period | 308 years |
| Semi-major axis | 45.6 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 38.3 – 52.8 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.159 |
| Inclination | 29.0° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 37.4 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.