Makemake has awakened from its slumber and unveils a methane secret, breaking the silence of the dwarf planet beyond Pluto.
For years, it was an enigma: large and bright, but seemingly inert. Now, it is being placed in an unexpected location, as the second object with signs of gaseous activity. The ice covering it no longer appears to be a mere remnant, but a living surface in transformation.
The trail of gas that changes everything
It has been confirmed to emit methane in gaseous form. This detection makes it a dynamic body, comparable to Pluto, and challenges the idea that they are icy remnants without evolution. The presence of gas implies ongoing processes under extreme temperatures.
Hypotheses about its origin
Observations show emissions excited by sunlight, pointing to two possible scenarios: a thin atmosphere in equilibrium with the ice, or eruptions releasing gas intermittently, like cryovolcanic plumes. Both explain the transformation of a dwarf planet that was believed to be frozen in time.
A miniature laboratory
With a diameter of 1,430 km —two-thirds of Pluto—. Models suggest temperatures of -233 °C and minimal surface pressures, but still active. Understanding its methane may help decipher the boundary between inert worlds and bodies with ephemeral atmospheres in the outer solar system.
