The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2024)
Prominent Mid-infrared Excess of the Dwarf Planet (136472) Makemake Discovered by JWST/MIRI Indicates Ongoing Activity
- 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
Affiliations
- Csaba Kiss
- ORCiD
- Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121 Budapest, Hungary ; [email protected]; CSFK, MTA Centre of Excellence , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121, Budapest, Hungary; ELTE Eötvös Loránd University , Institute of Physics and Astronomy, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, 1171 Budapest, Hungary
- Thomas G. Müller
- ORCiD
- Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik , Giessenbachstr. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
- Anikó Farkas-Takács
- ORCiD
- Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121 Budapest, Hungary ; [email protected]; CSFK, MTA Centre of Excellence , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121, Budapest, Hungary
- Attila Moór
- ORCiD
- Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121 Budapest, Hungary ; [email protected]; CSFK, MTA Centre of Excellence , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121, Budapest, Hungary
- Silvia Protopapa
- ORCiD
- Southwest Research Institute , 1301 Walnut Street, Suite 400, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Alex H. Parker
- ORCiD
- SETI Institute , Mountain View, CA, USA
- Pablo Santos-Sanz
- ORCiD
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC) , Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain
- Jose Luis Ortiz
- ORCiD
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC) , Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain
- Bryan J. Holler
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Ian Wong
- ORCiD
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- John Stansberry
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Estela Fernández-Valenzuela
- ORCiD
- Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida , 12354 Research Parkway, Orlando, FL 32826, USA
- Christopher R. Glein
- ORCiD
- Space Science Division, Space Sector, Southwest Research Institute , 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166, USA
- Emmanuel Lellouch
- ORCiD
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University , CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 5 place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
- Esa Vilenius
- ORCiD
- Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London , Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT, UK
- Csilla E. Kalup
- ORCiD
- Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121 Budapest, Hungary ; [email protected]; CSFK, MTA Centre of Excellence , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121, Budapest, Hungary; ELTE Eötvös Loránd University , Institute of Physics and Astronomy, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, 1171 Budapest, Hungary
- Zsolt Regály
- ORCiD
- Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121 Budapest, Hungary ; [email protected]; CSFK, MTA Centre of Excellence , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121, Budapest, Hungary
- Róbert Szakáts
- ORCiD
- Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121 Budapest, Hungary ; [email protected]; CSFK, MTA Centre of Excellence , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121, Budapest, Hungary
- Gábor Marton
- ORCiD
- Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121 Budapest, Hungary ; [email protected]; CSFK, MTA Centre of Excellence , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121, Budapest, Hungary
- András Pál
- ORCiD
- Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121 Budapest, Hungary ; [email protected]; CSFK, MTA Centre of Excellence , Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121, Budapest, Hungary; ELTE Eötvös Loránd University , Institute of Physics and Astronomy, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, 1171 Budapest, Hungary
- Gyula M. Szabó
- ORCiD
- ELTE Eötvös Loránd University , Gothard Astrophysical Observatory, Szombathely, Hungary; MTA-ELTE Exoplanet Research Group , 9700 Szombathely, Szent Imre h. u. 112, Hungary
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad8dcb
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 976,
no. 1
p. L9
Abstract
We report on the discovery of a very prominent mid-infrared (18–25 μ m) 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.
Keywords
- Trans-Neptunian objects
- Classical Kuiper belt objects
- Planetary rings
- Asteroid surfaces
- Planetary thermal histories
