Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of asteroid 136472 Makemake in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Asteroid 136472 Makemake
Asteroid 136472 Makemake is in the constellation of Coma, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of asteroid 136472 Makemake in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of asteroid 136472 Makemake against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of asteroid 136472 Makemake from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Distance from Earth
The distance of asteroid 136472 Makemake from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of asteroid 136472 Makemake from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of 136472 Makemake from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of asteroid 136472 Makemake to Earth will happen on Tuesday 9 June 2099 at a distance of 47.184948 Astronomical Units, or 7,058,767,738 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of asteroid 136472 Makemake, i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of asteroid 136472 Makemake at epoch October, 16 2024 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460600.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.16353397 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 29.03373563° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 37.96209732 AU 5,679,048,938 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
52.80571821 AU 7,899,623,021 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
45.38390777 AU 6,789,335,980 km |
| Orbital period | period |
305.7462 years 111,673.7908 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | October 3, 1881 2,408,356.7590 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | July 5, 2187 2,520,030.5498 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 296.75383161696° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 79.260520400033° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 168.41683818228° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00322367°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of asteroid 136472 Makemake relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
Physical Properties
The table below lists the known key physical properties of asteroid 136472 Makemake. The source for this data is the JPL Small-Body Database.
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Sideral Rotation | 22.4800 hours | 0.9392 |
| Absolute Magnitude | -0.4 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of asteroid 136472 Makemake computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10 2025 | 13h 20m 30s | +21° 06’ 09” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 11 2025 | 13h 20m 30s | +21° 05’ 33” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 12 2025 | 13h 20m 31s | +21° 04’ 56” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 13 2025 | 13h 20m 31s | +21° 04’ 19” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 14 2025 | 13h 20m 32s | +21° 03’ 42” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 15 2025 | 13h 20m 32s | +21° 03’ 05” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 16 2025 | 13h 20m 33s | +21° 02’ 27” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 17 2025 | 13h 20m 34s | +21° 01’ 49” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 18 2025 | 13h 20m 34s | +21° 01’ 10” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 19 2025 | 13h 20m 35s | +21° 00’ 31” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 20 2025 | 13h 20m 36s | +20° 59’ 52” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 21 2025 | 13h 20m 37s | +20° 59’ 12” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 22 2025 | 13h 20m 38s | +20° 58’ 33” | 17.16 | Coma |
| Jul 23 2025 | 13h 20m 39s | +20° 57’ 53” | 17.16 | Coma |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 136472 Makemake: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is asteroid 136472 Makemake?: Key information on where to find asteroid 136472 Makemake in the sky.
- Distance of asteroid 136472 Makemake from Earth: Find out how far asteroid 136472 Makemake is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is asteroid 136472 Makemake?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of asteroid 136472 Makemake from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of asteroid 136472 Makemake's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of asteroid 136472 Makemake's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days asteroid 136472 Makemake's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about asteroid 136472 Makemake orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of asteroid 136472 Makemake with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- Physical Data: Detailed information about physical properties of asteroid 136472 Makemake.