[SunkenCiv]

Ultima Thule Already Puzzling New Horizon Researchers, Before We’ve Even Arrived
By Joel Hruska on December 27, 2018
https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/282872-ultima-thule-already-puzzling-new-horizon-researchers-before-weve-even-arrived

[EVO X]

It looks like no more pictures for a while.

From todays press briefing:

“Data transmission from New Horizons will pause for about a week while the spacecraft passes behind the sun as seen from here on Earth. Data transmission resumes Jan. 10, starting a 20-month download of the spacecraft’s remaining scientific treasures.”

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php

[radu]

Ultima Thule is an irregularly shaped object. It may be a binary pair of objects, including a contact binary: two distinct objects that may be superficially bound together by bits of rock, but with significant voids in between the spacing of the material).

It will be interesting to see how well the two are bound when we see the close-up images - - provided New Horizons passed at the right angle to get a good look at where they connect. Getting antsy to see those close-ups! LOL!

They've learned a few things about UT the past day .....

•Initial data analysis has found no evidence of rings or satellites larger than one mile in diameter orbiting Ultima Thule.
•Data analysis has also not yet found any evidence of an atmosphere.
•The color of Ultima Thule matches the color of similar worlds in the Kuiper Belt, as determined by telescopic measurements.
•The two lobes of Ultima Thule — the first Kuiper Belt contact binary visited — are nearly identical in color. This matches what we know about binary systems which haven't come into contact with each other, but rather orbit around a shared point of gravity.

..... and I look forward to seeing what more they learn as the data comes in over the next several months.

New Ultima Thule Discoveries from NASA's New Horizons