CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A NASA spacecraft that explored Pluto has spotted its next target on the outskirts of our solar system.
NASA this week revealed pictures taken by New Horizons earlier this month of a tiny icy world known as Ultima Thule (THOO-lee). New Horizons is aiming for a flyby on New Year's Day. It will be humanity's most distant exploration of a celestial body, 4 billion miles (6.4 billion kilometres) from Earth and 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometres) beyond Pluto.
New Horizons in 2015 became the first spacecraft to visit Pluto. Ultima Thule is minuscule by comparison, an estimated 20 miles (30 kilometres) across. Scientists were surprised New Horizons could detect it from 100 million miles (155 million kilometres) out.
The pictures are the farthest ever taken, with more to come.
