NASA's New Horizons spacecraft on January 2, 2019, at a distance of 4 billion miles from Earth, presented the first close-up shots of the most distant celestial bodies ever explored. It turns out that the mysterious Ultima Thule resembles a reddish snowman in shape and color.
The photograph taken on January 2, 2019 displays information about the color and details of the Ultima Thule, located 1 billion miles from Pluto. The spacecraft New Horizons flew past him on January 1, 2019
A small ice object consists of two fused spheres, one of which is 3 times larger than the other. Covers a width of about 32 km. New Horizons - the spacecraft, which 3.5 years ago sent unique photos of Pluto. The device flew past the ancient object on January 1, reaching 1.6 billion km further than Pluto.
On Tuesday, it was reported that the object resembles a pin, but the first clear images displayed an improved form of a snowman.
The photograph of January 2, 2019 shows the size and shape of the Ultima Thule. Spaceship New Horizons flew past January 1, 2019
Researchers believe that the two spheres formed when small ice fragments merged into space billions of years ago. Then the spheres began to rotate closer to each other, until they collided. The color of Ultima Thule seems as spotty and dull as a brick. No moons and rings are yet to be seen, but better images will arrive in the coming weeks.
Scientists also reported that in the last photo did not notice the apparent impact craters. However, there were several obvious “spots” and hints on the hills. NASA has no official statements yet.
This is a frame from a video provided by NASA on January 2, 2019. Here is a diagram describing the size and shape of the Ultima Thule. Spaceship New Horizons sped past January 1, 2019
