Welcome to the Solar System, Makemake (TPS) |
Welcome to the Solar System, Makemake (TPS) |
Jul 16 2008, 04:52 AM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 239 Joined: 18-December 07 From: New York Member No.: 3982 |
(I wasn't sure where to put this so I figured if I posed it here it would eventually get transferred to the appropriate forum)
http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001553/ By Emily Lakdawalla Actually, Makemake has (probably) been in the solar system for billions of years, long before there were ever humans around who cared about how to name them. But there are humans now, and we care a lot about names, so it's a great relief that the trans-Neptunian object formerly known as 2005 FY9 now has a name: "Makemake." Makemake is the creator of humanity and god of fertility in the mythology of the South Pacific island of Rapa Nui, known to most speakers of English as Easter Island. In the three years since its discovery, its discoverers (Brown, Trujillo, and Rabinowitz) have been referring to it as "Easterbunny" (it was discovered shortly after Easter) so the official name pays cute homage to that. "Makemake" is pronounced phonetically, if you speak Spanish or Italian, or, to transliterate it for English speakers, "MAH-kay-MAH-kay." Makemake is the next brightest object in the Kuiper belt after Pluto, bright enough for astronomers to be confident that it's big enough (approximately 1,600 kilometers, roughly the same size as Saturn's second largest moon, Rhea) to become spherical under the force of its own gravity (in scientific parlance, it has likely achieved hydrostatic equilibrium). Now that it has a name, Makemake is therefore the fourth dwarf planet in the solar system, according to this page on the United States Geological Survey's Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature (the others being Ceres, Pluto, and Eris). I've updated our "Notable Trans-Neptunian objects" page to reflect the new name. |
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Jul 16 2008, 05:30 AM
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
An oddly evocative, ironic (dare I say existential?) name in the English translation. Phonetically, I'm betting that it's pronounced "Mahk-ee Mahk-ee" based on the Hawaiian words I've heard.
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Jul 16 2008, 11:20 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2922 Joined: 14-February 06 From: Very close to the Pyrénées Mountains (France) Member No.: 682 |
An oddly evocative, ironic (dare I say existential?) name in the English translation. Phonetically, I'm betting that it's pronounced "Mahk-ee Mahk-ee" based on the Hawaiian words I've heard. Intersting, you beat me on this thought. I'll be interested to know how they pronounce in all Polynesian countries down to (NZ) Maoris, and even more in Rapa Nui itself (Isle de Pâques in french) -------------------- |
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