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Dwarf Planet Gets a Name

Posted Jul 22, 08 10:17 AM CDT in Science & Health 

(Newser) – 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.

Source USA Today

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