NASA's Most Distant Object Yet
In 2014, the Hubble Telescope spotted the object 2014 MU69 for the first time. 2014 MU69’s ideal position caused for it to be an excellent target for New Horizons, an interplanetary space probe, as it fit into New Horizons’ trajectory after it would pass by Pluto. Nearly five years later, the flight was made and stunning images of 2014 MU69 were revealed, providing answers, insight, and creating room for more discovery.
On December 31st, 2018, New Horizons flew by 2014 MU69 and took photographs which, during the next 20 months, will be sent to NASA and released. 2014 MU69 is four billion miles away from Earth, and the photographs were taken 6700 km away. The object is located on the far edge of our solar system near the Kuiper belt, and the new photographs of the object provide incredible insight into the conditions of the environment there.
The conditions prove to be extremely cold, dark, and deserted because of 2014 MU69’s remote location far from the sun and past Neptune. The contents of the Kuiper belt are icy, and are likely remnants of the beginning of our solar system. Since the nature of the Kuiper belt is quite barren, there are not many objects that would allow for many collisions to happen, so 2014 MU69 has the shape of 2 spheres gently resting on each other—likely because they did not have a big collision impact.
The two planets that make up 2014 MU69 appear to have small depressions as well a large indentation that spans four miles on the smaller planet. These mysterious dents in the two spheres have an unknown origin, but more detailed photographs and their analysis may reveal the source. The current images have a resolution of 135 m per pixel maximum, and they were further enhanced by special scientific technologies to make the image clearer. Within the next 20 months, the resolution and details will improve as they will be retrieved from New Horizons’ LORRI, or Long Range Reconnaissance Imager. The LORRI is an advanced camera that allows for high resolution photographs. It also allowed New Horizons to photograph Pluto accurately and in great detail.
The images are monumental to the understanding of the universe and especially our solar system, as Ultima Thule is the first small KBO to be photographed through the use of a spacecraft. Insight into the KBOs allows us to see what the conditions were when the solar system formed. This is because the conditions since the solar system was formed have remained virtually unchanged in the Kuiper Belt, as it has a very barren nature and thus not many collisions could have occured to alter the conditions since the universe’s birth. This new insight will answer many questions about the universe’s formation.
written by MARINA NAUMOVA, edited by CAROLINE BARRY