Makemake is now a planet

Daniel writes in with the goods news about the the Kuiper belt object formerly known as (136472) 2005 FY9 – it has been rechristened Makemake and classified as a dwarf planet and plutoid by the International Astronomical Union. Makemake has appeared here before and we welcome this new addition to the universe of making.

According to slashdot, the most recent named dwarf planet is “Makemake”. It’s Polynesian, so I’d imagine it’s “Mah-kee Mah-kee”, but still, what’s better than your blog’s own tiki-god named planet???

Thanks Palomar Observatory – M.E. Brown, C.A. Trujillo, and D.L. Rabinowitz!

More:

MAKE – Easter Island here we come!