Space rock gets name for probe visit

baltimore - A distant space rock that will receive a visit from the earth next year has been given a name. The block 2014 MU69, past Pluto, is now called Ultima Thule. For the Greeks and Romans, Thule was a mythical island in the far north. Ultima Thule, which means 'beyond Thule', indicates that the probe goes 'beyond the limits of the known world'.

Ultima Thule was formed billions of years ago in the time that our solar system came into being. The New Horizons probe should, among other things, find out what the boulder consists of. On 1 January 2019, the probe reaches a few thousand kilometers from Ultima Thule. Never before has an object been visited so far from the earth.

The New Horizons was launched in 2006 and flew in July 2015 along the dwarf planet Pluto. He is now on his way to Ultima Thule with a speed of 1 million kilometers a day. Around 2047, the New Horizons will reach the edge of our solar system. It is not known if he still works.