Dwarf Planet Gets a Name

Smaller than Pluto, Makemake is covered in frozen methane
By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 22, 2008 10:17 AM CDT
Dwarf Planet Gets a Name
This artist's concept shows the newly discovered Neptune-sized extrasolar planet circling the star Gliese 436.    (KRT Photos)

The neighborhood of the solar system beyond Neptune has a new resident—or rather, an old resident with a new name. The dwarf planet originally dubbed Easterbunny will now be known as Makemake (pronounced MAH-keh MAH-keh), reports USA Today.

Discovered in 2005, Makemake is named after the Polynesian creator of humanity and the god of fertility. The third official plutoid is slightly smaller and dimmer than Pluto, and is believed to have a surface of frozen methane. (More Makemake stories.)

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