NASA Says Ultima Thule Actually Looks Like A Pancake And A Walnut
New pictures taken by the New Horizons spacecraft at a different angle as it raced away from Ultima Thule at 31,000mph (50,000 kmh) reveal it is not spherical. Initially, it was considered to be round objects, but the new view has shown is more squashed.
It was called the snowman as Ultima Thule resembled two spheres sitting on top of each other but those have now been defunct due to the new images.
"Seeing more data has significantly changed our view", said Southwest Research Institute's Alan Stern, the lead scientist. The most important aspect of this change in the structure is the fact that scientists cannot figure out how something of this shape can exist in space.
The icy world of Ultima Thule is roughly 20 miles long and is the most distant world ever studied by mankind - a billion miles beyond Pluto. "We've never seen something like this orbiting the Sun", he added.
He said: "Nothing quite like this has ever been captured in imagery". "It would be closer to reality to say Ultima Thule's shape is flatter, like a pancake".
However, new photos captured by the New Horizons spacecraft have revealed it is flatter on the back side than previously thought.
Now, scientists are revising that analogy because of a new image series transmitted to Earth.
Trump Gains Weight, Now Considered Obese
The president's total cholesterol was measured at 196, with "an HDL of 58 and an LDL of 122" - all lower than previous year . Doctors last year recommended Trump exercise more, change his diet, and set a goal of losing 10 to 15 pounds within a year.
The central frame of the new sequence of images was taken at 12:42 a.m.
Ultima Thule- officially known by decidedly the less-snappy name "2014 MU69" - is the farthest object ever visited by spacecraft. New Horizons zipped past it at high speed, after becoming the first visitor to Pluto in 2015.
It is also the first object in the Kuiper Belt - a region on the edge of our solar system which is part of the original disk from which the sun and planets formed - to be observed up close.
The name "Ultima Thule" was chosen through a nickname campaign hosted by the New Horizons team.
A quick look at Wikipedia will tell you the phrase Ultima Thule was used by the Romans to refer to a northern land just outside the bounds of the known world.
New photos from the New Horizons spacecraft offer a new perspective on the small cosmic body 4 billion miles (6.4 billion kilometres ) away.
Recommended News
-
Rouhani stresses Iran's military strength
Rouhani also touched upon his country's support to some regional countries, saying its helps have aborted the enemies' plots. On Feb. 11, 1979 Iran's army declared its neutrality, paving the way for the fall of US -backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.Police raid homes to stop Valentine’s Day celebrations in Indonesia
So if you're not into the conventional roses, chocolates and teddy bears, you can celebrate it with some Twitter humour. And if you understand this, you don't need a special day to celebrate love since every day will be Valentine's day.Steve Kerr Ejected In Loss To Trail Blazers After Arguing Foul Call
Blazers: In addition to Kanter, Portland strengthened its bench prior to the trade deadline with the addition of Rodney Hood. In response to that ruling, Kerr flipped out, smashing his clipboard and looking like he wanted to fight an official . -
Miley Cyrus Sends Liam Hemsworth A Graphic Valentine
Hemsworth missed the premiere of his movie Isn't it Romantic as he is now battling kidney stones. She simply tagged him on Twitter with a meme of herself from her "wild days".Anthem Live Action Trailer Helmed by Neill Blomkamp Finally Released
EA and District-9 director Neill Blomkamp have released their full live-action Anthem short today, titled " Conviction ". Over the course of Conviction , we see a few different areas and characters that will be in the final game.Jussie Smollett Sits Down With Robin Roberts For 'GMA' Exclusive (Clip)
Smollett said he was "pissed off" not only by his attackers but also by those who had questioned the veracity of his account. Asked why he hesitated a half hour after the attack to phone police, Smollett said, "There's a level of pride there". -
Wawrinka prevails in tricky Rotterdam opener
Raonic had won the last three meetings, including a victory in the second round of this year's Australian Open . In the tie-break, Wawrinka stepped inside the baseline to gain the momentum.Mauro ICARDI loses Inter captaincy as Samir HANDANOVIC named new captain
It has been a tough, painful decision which he probably has not taken well, made with the team's well-being in mind. They visit Rapid Vienna in Europa League action on Thursday before hosting Samp in league play on Sunday.Wizards can't climb back to beat Pistons, fall 121-112 | Washington Wizards
If the Pistons want to achieve important things this season, this must happen on a consistent basis. Detroit out-rebounded Washington by 11, but also outscored the Wizards by 16 points in the paint. -
David Fincher Netflix: Love, Death & Robots' Premiere Date, Trailer
Just make sure the kids don't see the word "robots" and dive in. Check out the trailer for Netflix's Love, Death + Robots.'Killing Eve' season 2 trailer
Expectations are high, as Killing Eve developed a cult following for its twisty story, brilliant performances, and darkly amusing writing.Software pirates are distributing hacked versions of Apple's most popular apps
The software distributors named and shamed by Reuters include TutuApp, Panda Helper, AppValley, and TweakBox. Several pirates have impersonated a subsidiary of China Mobile.