Makemake, considered one of the dwarf planets in the solar system, has surprised scientists by detecting methane gas on its surface.
The discovery was made using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, led by a team of scientists from the Southwest Research Institute. Makemake is now the second trans-Neptunian body, after Pluto, to have the gas confirmed.
Makemake is about 1,430 kilometers across, about a third smaller than Pluto. Scientists explain that the methane gas may be due to the fragile atmosphere.
