Prominent Mid-infrared Excess of the Dwarf Planet (136472) Makemake Discovered by JWST/MIRI Indicates Ongoing Activity

The Astrophysical Journal Letters Pub Date : 2024-11-14 DOI:10.3847/2041-8213/ad8dcb

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 and Gyula M. Szabó

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Abstract

We report on the discovery of a very prominent mid-infrared (18–25 μm) 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.

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JWST/MIRI发现的矮行星（136472）Makemake的显著中红外过量表明正在发生的活动

我们报告了与跨海王星矮行星（136472）Makemake 有关的一个非常突出的中红外（18-25 μm）过量的发现。詹姆斯-韦伯太空望远镜（James Webb Space Telescope）的中红外仪器（Mid-Infrared Instrument）以及斯皮策（Spitzer）和赫歇尔（Herschel）太空望远镜之前的测量结果都探测到了这一过量现象，它表明Makemake的温度达到了150 K，远远高于Makemake日心距离上的固体表面在太阳辐照下所能达到的温度。我们发现了两种可能的解释：一种是持续可见的、当前活跃的区域，由地表下的上涌和可能的低温火山活动提供动力，覆盖了≤1%的马凯马克表面；另一种是尚未探测到的星环，其中包含非常小的碳质尘粒，这种尘粒以前从未在跨海王星或半人马座星环中出现过。这两种情况都表明在跨海王星天体中出现了前所未有的现象，可能会极大地影响我们对这些遥远世界的了解。

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The Astrophysical Journal Letters

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