136472 Makemake's 305.5-year orbit around the Sun will carry it to its furthest point to the Sun – its aphelion – at a distance of 52.80 AU.

Unlike most of the planets, which follow almost exactly circular orbits around the Sun which only vary in their distance from the Sun by a few percent, 136472 Makemake has a significantly elliptical orbit. Its distance from the Sun varies between 37.91 AU and 52.80 AU – a variation of over 39% – meaning that it receives 48% less heat and light from the Sun at aphelion as compared to perihelion.

Finding 136472 Makemake

136472 Makemake's distance from the Sun doesn't affect its appearance. From Cambridge, at the moment of aphelion it will be visible in the evening sky, becoming accessible around 21:24 (EDT), 59° above your south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. It will then reach its highest point in the sky at 22:38, 64° above your southern horizon. It will continue to be observable until around 03:39, when it sinks below 21° above your western horizon.

A chart of the path of 136472 Makemake across the sky in 2034 can be found here, and a chart of its rising and setting times here.

The position of 136472 Makemake at the moment it passes aphelion will be:

The coordinates above are given in J2000.0.

The sky on 20 May 2034

Source

The circumstances of this event were computed using the DE430 planetary ephemeris published by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

This event was automatically generated by searching the ephemeris for planetary alignments which are of interest to amateur astronomers, and the text above was generated based on an estimate of your location.

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Image credit

© NASA/Hubble Space Telescope

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