Prominent Mid-infrared Excess of the Dwarf Planet (136472) Makemake Discovered by JWST/MIRI Indicates Ongoing Activity
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: We report on the discovery of a very prominent mid-infrared (18–25 μm) excess associated with the trans-Neptunian dwarf planet (136472) Makemake. The excess, detected by the Mid-Infrared Instrument of the James Webb Space Telescope, along with previous measurements from the Spitzer and Herschel space telescopes, indicates the occurrence of temperatures of ∼150 K, much higher than what solid surfaces at Makemake’s heliocentric distance could reach by solar irradiation. We identify two potential explanations: a continuously visible, currently active region powered by subsurface upwelling and possibly cryovolcanic activity covering ≤1% of Makemake’s surface or an as-yet-undetected ring containing very small carbonaceous dust grains, which have not been seen before in trans-Neptunian or Centaur rings. Both scenarios point to unprecedented phenomena among trans-Neptunian objects and could greatly impact our understanding of these distant worlds.
Authors: Csaba Kiss, Thomas G. Müller, Anikó Farkas-Takács, Attila Moór, Silvia Protopapa, Alex H. Parker, Pablo Santos-Sanz, Jose Luis Ortiz, Bryan J. Holler, Ian Wong, John Stansberry, Estela Fernández-Valenzuela, Christopher R. Glein, Emmanuel Lellouch, Esa Vilenius, Csilla E. Kalup, Zsolt Regály, Róbert Szakáts, Gábor Marton, András Pál, Gyula M. Szabó
Institutions: Eötvös Loránd University, Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Southwest Research Institute, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Space Telescope Science Institute, Goddard Space Flight Center, University of Central Florida, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique, University College London
Language: English
Topic: Astro and Planetary Science
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,400
Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Space Telescope Science Institute, Fundación Carmen y Severo Ochoa, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, National Research, Development and Innovation Office
Awards: G103270039, G104587016, G1175115578, G1338664626, G134384773, G1594289875, G1794428649, G2262748287, G2275909756, G256731684, G2650114919, G300979063, G3354254508, G34346518, G3480869486, G3696727022, G3743470659, G3919879982, G4154676493, G425668148, G4526231891, G463062595, G5080475149, G5568641063, G5894067328, G7084143925, G7694217703
OpenAlex ID: W4404373109