Share
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The most distant world ever explored 4 billion miles away finally has an official name: Arrokoth.
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew past the snowman-shaped Arrokoth on New Year’s Day, 3 ½ years after exploring Pluto. At the time, this small icy world 1 billion miles beyond Pluto was nicknamed Ultima Thule given its vast distance from us.
“The name ‘Arrokoth’ reflects the inspiration of looking to the skies,” lead scientist Alan Stern of Southwest Research Institute said in a statement, “and wondering about the stars and worlds beyond our own.”
Arrokoth Is Among Countless Objects in the so-Called Kuiper Belt
The name was picked because of the Powhatan’s ties to the Chesapeake Bay region.
New Horizons is operated from Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland. The Hubble Space Telescope — which discovered Arrokoth in 2014 — has its science operations in Baltimore.
The New Horizons team got consent for the name from Powhatan Tribal elders and representatives, according to NASA. The International Astronomical Union and its Minor Planet Center approved the choice.
Arrokoth is among countless objects in the so-called Kuiper Belt, or vast Twilight Zone beyond the orbit of Neptune. New Horizons will observe some of these objects from afar as it makes its way deeper into space.
The 49ers Balance Immediate Needs With Long-Term Plans in NFL Draft
41 mins ago
Uncertain Futures for LeBron, Lakers’ Coach After Elimination From Playoffs by Nuggets Again
60 mins ago
Netanyahu Promises to Enter Rafah Regardless of a Deal, Amid Ongoing Negotiations With Hamas
1 hour ago
Tesla’s Stock Leaps on Reports of Chinese Approval for the Company’s Driving Software
19 hours ago
3 Law Officers Killed, 5 Others Wounded Trying to Serve Warrant in North Carolina, Authorities Say
19 hours ago
Planning for Potential Presidential Transition Underway by Biden Administration