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posted by janrinok on Monday February 11 2019, @04:56PM   Printer-friendly
from the stop-squashing-me dept.

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20190208

An evocative new image sequence from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft offers a departing view of the Kuiper Belt object (KBO) nicknamed Ultima Thule – the target of its New Year's 2019 flyby and the most distant world ever explored.

These aren't the last Ultima Thule images New Horizons will send back to Earth – in fact, many more are to come -- but they are the final views New Horizons captured of the KBO (officially named 2014 MU69) as it raced away at over 31,000 miles per hour (50,000 kilometers per hour) on Jan. 1. The images were taken nearly 10 minutes after New Horizons crossed its closest approach point.

"This really is an incredible image sequence, taken by a spacecraft exploring a small world four billion miles away from Earth," said mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern, of Southwest Research Institute. "Nothing quite like this has ever been captured in imagery."

The newly released images also contain important scientific information about the shape of Ultima Thule, which is turning out to be one of the major discoveries from the flyby.

The first close-up images of Ultima Thule – with its two distinct and, apparently, spherical segments – had observers calling it a "snowman." However, more analysis of approach images and these new departure images have changed that view, in part by revealing an outline of the portion of the KBO that was not illuminated by the Sun, but could be "traced out" as it blocked the view to background stars.

Stringing 14 of these images into a short departure movie, New Horizons scientists can confirm that the two sections (or "lobes") of Ultima Thule are not spherical. The larger lobe, nicknamed "Ultima," more closely resembles a giant pancake and the smaller lobe, nicknamed "Thule," is shaped like a dented walnut.

See also: https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/science-environment-47187733


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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @05:14PM (7 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @05:14PM (#799613)

    Why are so many of these objects shaped like dumbbells?

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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @05:19PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @05:19PM (#799619)

    That's part of how matter coalescences. It's two smaller objects that came in contact with each other gently enough to not destroy each other. Just look at how many binary objects exist in the universe and it shouldn't be so surprising that smaller objects can be binary as well.

    But, IANAAstrophysicists

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @05:35PM (4 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @05:35PM (#799632)

      two smaller objects that came in contact with each other gently enough to not destroy each other

      I would expect there is only a very small window of velocity that would allow this though. Wouldn't it be much more likely for them to bounce off or obliterate each other?

      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @06:07PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @06:07PM (#799653)

        There is still a gravity component of about .002 m/s^2 at their surfaces of the major axis, so that even if they bounce off each other the first time, there is an opportunity for them to eventually achieve equilibrium as two objects bound by a small gravitational force. The velocity vectors of their original approach relative to each other determines what the behaviour would be.

      • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 11 2019, @07:18PM (2 children)

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday February 11 2019, @07:18PM (#799699)

        Wouldn't it be much more likely for them to bounce off or obliterate each other?

        Take the total number of objects observed vs the number observed to be dumbell shaped, for local conditions I'd say that's your likelihood, and it is on the rare, but not impossible, side. Sort of like planets with showy rings.

        --
        🌻🌻 [google.com]
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @08:24PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @08:24PM (#799728)

          It seems like every single one they send a probe to has a dumbbell shape.

          • (Score: 1) by anubi on Tuesday February 12 2019, @03:36AM

            by anubi (2828) on Tuesday February 12 2019, @03:36AM (#799918) Journal

            Is it spinning?

            Maybe centrifugal force is at play like a disk of pizza dough?

            --
            "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @06:27PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 11 2019, @06:27PM (#799663)

    Presumably the nearest alien civilization has genitalia shaped like dumbells--it is the only logical explanation.