Shocking Discovery: Makemake’s Methane Mystifies Scientists on This Dwarf Planet

Scientists have made an exciting discovery: they found methane gas on Makemake, a distant dwarf planet. This finding suggests that Makemake is an active, icy world. A team from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) led this research using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Makemake is among the largest and brightest objects in our solar system beyond Neptune. It’s the second trans-Neptunian object known to have gas, following Pluto. Silvia Protopapa, a lead researcher on the project, shared her enthusiasm: “The Webb telescope has shown that methane exists in its gas form above the surface, making Makemake even more intriguing.”

This discovery indicates that Makemake isn’t just a lifeless remnant of the outer solar system. Instead, it shows signs of ongoing processes, with methane ice undergoing changes. With a diameter of about 890 miles (1,430 kilometers), Makemake is two-thirds the size of Pluto. The JWST detected methane by analyzing how solar light interacts with methane molecules in its atmosphere.

The presence of methane could suggest it has a very thin atmosphere or that it’s experiencing temporary activities like those seen in comets. These activities happen when the ice sublimates or through cryovolcanic eruptions. The study authors suggest that this activity might be similar to the water plumes observed on Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

If Makemake does have a permanent atmosphere, it is extremely thin, with a surface pressure about 100 billion times less than Earth’s. Their models indicate that if methane is released in short bursts, it could occur at rates of several hundred kilograms per second.

Looking ahead, Ian Wong, a staff scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, mentioned that more observations with higher resolution will provide clarity on whether the methane comes from a thin atmosphere or from eruptions. Previous observations had indicated that Makemake might have had no substantial atmosphere, but they didn’t completely eliminate the possibility of a thin one.

This finding not only sparks interest in Makemake but also challenges our understanding of the dynamics of distant dwarf planets. Ongoing research can reveal how these celestial bodies evolve over time, contributing to our broader knowledge of the solar system.

You can explore more in the paper titled “JWST Detection of Hydrocarbon Ices and Methane Gas on Makemake,” available on the preprint repository arXiv. For NASA’s broader projects and updates, visit the official NASA website.

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