The artistic vision of the spacecraft of the New Horizons of NASA, arrived by 2014 MU69 (Kuiper Belt object), 1.6 billion kilometers away from Pluto. Public voting opted for “Ultima Thule” to mark the most primitive and distant world explored by spacecraft
Mission New Horizons continues to explore unknown space. Now scientists have chosen the most appropriate name for the next target in the outer territory of the solar system.
Public opinion chose “Ultima Thule” (Thule) to designate the Kuiper Belt object, which is planned to be explored on January 1, 2019. Officially it was called 2014 MU69. Rotates at a distance of 1.6 billion km from Pluto. It will be the most primitive and distant world that has been watched by spacecraft. In medieval mythology, Tula was a distant northern island. The name “Ultima Thule” translates as “outside Thule” and symbolizes the study of distant worlds in the Kuiper Belt. Looking for a more inspiring nickname than the 2014 MU69, scientists launched the company in early November. Everything was held in the form of an online contest where you could vote for the proposals.
The company was attended by 115,000 participants nominated 34,000 names. Of these, 37 were in the final list for voting: 8 names from representatives of the New Horizons and 29 submitted by the public.
Then the number was reduced to 29. The final choice was stopped at Ultima Thule, which reflects the true spirit of research.
