New Horizons Transmits Images Of Ultima Thule Written 3 January 2019

The AP reports that NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft – currently 4 billion miles from Earth – “yielded its first close-up pictures Wednesday of the most distant celestial object ever explored, depicting what looks like a reddish snowman.” The icy space object Ultima Thule “was found to consist of two fused-together spheres, one of them three times bigger than the other, extending about 21 miles (33 kilometers) in length.” NASA Ames Research Center scientist Jeff Moore “said the two spheres formed when icy, pebble-size pieces coalesced in space billions of years ago.” Lead Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Alan Stern “noted that the team has received less than 1 percent of all the data stored aboard New Horizons.” NASA expects to receive the remaining data over two years. Clues about the “surface composition of Ultima Thule should start rolling in by Thursday.” Scientists suspect that the object’s “icy exterior is probably a mix of water, methane and nitrogen, among other things.”
More Info (Associated Press)