Joe Malan | Enid News & Eagle
December 24, 2018
The solar system is full of all sorts of interesting worlds, from life-bearing (Earth), to ones that could one day harbor humanity (Mars), to solar bodies tipped almost completely on their side (Uranus).
By now, astronomers both professional and amateur should expect the unusual when it comes to exploring our solar system. Ultima Thule, New Horizons' destination on the first day of the new year, is certainly one of these objects.
Remember New Horizons? It was the spacecraft from NASA that brought into our living rooms the first close-up photographs of Pluto. The white plains, the red jagged mountains, the blue haze in the atmosphere, all of it. Now, it approaches another target called Ultima Thule.
Not much specifically is known about Ultima Thule at this very point in time, other than it's about a billion miles beyond Pluto, making it the most distant object spacecraft from Earth has visited.
Oh, and it is strange-shaped.
There are a couple main theories on this. One is that Ultima Thule is a single object, made up of two bulging spheres joined by a narrower section of rocky material. Another possibility is that it is actually two objects traveling together in space.
But there are even weirder possibilities when it comes to Ultima Thule.
On Thursday, New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern said he was puzzled because the spacecraft was unable to detect a light curve from Ultima Thule. The object, you see, ought to produce a light curve, as it rotates in the faraway sunlight.
Several possible explanations have been put forth by scientists. Marc Buie of the Southwest Research Institute supposes that Ultima Thule's pole is pointed directly at New Horizons, which would explain the lack of light curve. But that would be a very significant stroke of luck. SETI Institute's Mark Showalter thinks the object may be shrouded by a cloud of dust, though at this point this explanation is unlikely. Finally, Anne Virbiscer of the University of Virginia wonders whether Ultima Thule is surrounded by myriad moons, which have a sort of canceling effect to produce a weak light curve.
Mystery is in the air, but New Horizons should be able to clear it with its flyby of the object on Jan. 1. At its closest point, New Horizons will zoom past about 2,000 miles away, but that should be plenty close to get many clear photographs.
https://www.enidnews.com/news/lifestyles/column-probe-approaching-distant-object/article_775eaf77-c6b9-57f0-abdc-b2e83e5aa790.html
