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When information technology comes to planets and moons these days, all the attention goes exoplanets, or those orbiting alien stars. Some in the scientific community are nonetheless trying to practise an exhaustive search of our own solar organisation, nonetheless, particularly in the little-known surface area across Neptune. This week, NASA announced a new discovery in that effort to itemize local wanderers: a new moon they've nicknamed MK 2.

The "MK" in the name refers to the moon's parent, Makemake, a dwarf planet in the area of our solar system across Neptune, called the Kuiper belt. Makemake was the king of the so-called "trans-Neptunian objects" until scientists downgraded Pluto and made it the biggest and brightest body in the outer solar system. Makemake is about two-thirds Pluto's size, but otherwise quite similar. Both are covered in frozen methane, both orbit far from the Sunday, and, apparently, both accept one or multiple moons.

Oh, and Makemake is pronounced either "maKI-maKI" or "ma-KAY-ma-KAY," depending on who yous ask.

The moon was discovered in a search of the area carried out by Hubble telescope, revealing the orbital and surface characteristics of MK 2, but leaving its density and internal structure unknown. By illuminating the circular path of MK 2 around Makemake, Hubble has shown that it was most likely formed past a collision with between Makemake and another Kuiper chugalug object, in the early on history of the solar system. This is as opposed to the model in which information technology merely fell into orbit effectually Makemake as information technology passed.

makemake moon 2

A Hubble image of MK 2. Credit: NASA

Previous studies of Makemake had puzzled over the odd pattern of luminosity on its surface, but the presence of a moon, with its transits and moving shadow, could hands explain that.

Team leader Marc Buie said that this discovery, and the inevitable later investigation into the moon'south physical characteristics, volition allow a new era of "comparative planetology in the outer solar system." Right now, understanding of the Kuiper belt comes from detailed report of just a few major objects, which doesn't do much to illuminate the overall population, so every new object has an inflated level of importance. Even with simply this discovery, scientists can say that moons are likely quite mutual in the Kuiper belt, and that has implications for the probable level of crowding in that area a couple of billion years ago.

makemake moon 3

These six successive shots of Makemake showed a previously unknown object in its vicinity.

MK 2 itself differs from Makemake in that it is "charcoal black," where its parent is snow white. Scientists believe this may just be due to its size, and that it may be besides pocket-sized to gravitationally hold onto such a light surface fabric. This makes it far more typical for Kuiper chugalug objects, and seems to invite questioning well-nigh exactly what mass threshold could hold a surface pulverisation — probable as a office of surface temperature and rotational speed.

Being so dark, MK 2 was previously impossible to notice, every bit the moon's weak indicate was easily washed out by the reflection from its surface. It took Hubble's specialized equipment to look into such a bright spot and observe an all-new, jet black moon nearby.

NASA's New Horizons is currently on its way to perform a number of Kuiper belt flybys — so hopefully we'll get to learn more about MK two over the next couple of years.