Astronomers have discovered a dwarf planet the moon

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Астрономы обнаружили у карликовой планеты лунуA satellite revolves around the dwarf planet at a distance of about 21 thousand kilometers and the diameter is 160 kilometers.

Astronomers have discovered one of the largest and second brightest (after Pluto) are icy dwarf planets, Makemake satellite. This was reported on the NASA website.

Celestial body with the code S/2015 (136472) and the name of the MK 2 1.3 thousands of times fainter than Makemake. A satellite revolves around the dwarf planet at a distance of about 21 thousand kilometers and the diameter is 160 kilometers. If MK 2 is moving in a circular orbit around Makemake, the period of circulation equal to at least 12 days.

The shape of the orbit is important to clarify the origin of the satellite. In the case that it is circular, it may indicate the origin of the MK 2 as a result of collision of Makemake with another celestial body from the Kuiper belt (located at a distance of from 30 to 55 astronomical units from the Sun). If the trajectory of the MK 2 around the dwarf planet is elongated, the satellite could be captured by a celestial body from the Kuiper belt billions of years ago.

The opening of the MK 2 can also explain the observed in the study, Makemake infrared anomalies: despite the fact that the surface of the dwarf planet bright and cold, its temperature in some areas is higher than in the surrounding areas. The reason for this may be the dark surface of a celestial body.

Low brightness and grey MK 2 (compared to dwarf planet) scientists explain the low mass of the ice result in the sublimation under the influence of solar radiation passes into a gaseous state and therefore does not stay on the surface of the satellite. This makes it similar to a comet.

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