A NASA spacecraft 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.
Ultima Thule, as the small, icy object has been dubbed, was found to consist of two fused-together spheres, one of them three times bigger than the other, extending about 20 miles (32 kilometers) across.
NASA’s New Horizons, the spacecraft that sent back pictures of Pluto 3½ years ago, swept past the ancient, mysterious object early on New Year’s Day. It is 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) beyond Pluto.
On Tuesday, based on early, fuzzy images, scientists said Ultima Thule resembled a bowling pin. But when better pictures arrived, a new consensus emerged Wednesday.
“The bowling pin is gone. It’s a snowman!” lead scientist Alan Stern informed the world at a news conference.
Ultima Thule has a mottled appearance the color of dull brick. So far, no moons or rings have been detected, but even better images will yield definitive answers in the days and weeks ahead.
Scientists said there were no obvious impact craters in the latest photos but a few apparent “divots” and suggestions of hills and ridges. But NASA won’t know any of this for certain either until the more detailed pictures can be analyzed.
(AP)
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3 Responses
How are we bettered as a society, as a people, as a civilization by knowing that this rock formation 1.6 billion miles beyond Pluto more resembles a reddish colored snowman than a clay colored bowling pin? Why can we never be content to let G~d worry about that which is G~d’s to worry about? With the money that it cost to discover that there are rocks in outer space every living person on earth could have been fed, sheltered and clothed last night and every night until the Messiah gets here and asks of us why we weren’t taking better care of business right here on planet earth while leaving the business of G~d … to G~d.
Spot on, Mariana. I couldnt say it better!
שאו מרום עיניכם וראו מי ברא אלה