After a spacecraft reaches its stated objective, it continues onward. Clever astronomers can redirect the ship’s course and conduct additional research. Such is the case with the New Horizons spacecraft which passed by Pluto a few years ago. As a fascinating bit of fact, some of Clyde Tombaugh’s (discoverer of Pluto) are on that craft.
Next up, in fact on New Year’s Day New Horizon’s has a flyby of 2014 MU69, since given the solar system minor body number 486958. Not officially named, astronomers assigned the object the moniker, “Ultima Thule,” which means “beyond the known world.”
Cool! 2019 commences with knowledge coming to us from beyond what is yet known in this world. That sounds specifically hopeful.
Ultima Thule holds a peculiar shape, which is the source of wayward speculations by astronomers. Is it surrounded by moons, an osculating binary system or some other previously unknown Kuiper Belt anomaly? We’ll soon know what’s up with this enigmatic object. The astronomical anticipation is palpable.
Here are some things we do know. 486958 travels the Sun one every 298.16 years. On the first day of next year at 0 hours GMT, it transits 16 Capricorn 17, tropical, tucked dang near halfway between the Sun-Saturn conjunction and Pluto. That’s an indication of potentially transformational energy coming to light and being practically useful.
Ultima Thule’s node is 9 Virgo 03 and it’s closest contact to the Sun is 10 Pisces 10. There’s an amazing polarity built in, assured to provide with heaps of new facts that offer significant enlightenment about the edge of our known solar system.
It is small. Likely 100 times smaller than Pluto. Regardless, it likely packs heaps of insight and knowledge. Stand by Earthlings! Here’s a link to the latest details and data: Ultima Thume
Catch you in 2019!