NASA New Horizons Flashcards
1
Q
What is New horizons?
A
-launched on 19 January 2006.
-Mission:map the surfaces of Pluto and Charon, to study Pluto’s
atmosphere and to take temperature readings
2
Q
Where is Ultima Thule?
A
-located in the Kuiper belt in the outermost regions of the Solar System, beyond the orbit
of Neptune
3
Q
What is it’s diameter & shape?
A
- Diameter 30 km
- Irregularly shaped
- Reddish coloured
4
Q
Where does it belong?
A
Ultima Thule belongs to a class of Kuiper belt objects called the “cold classicals”, which have nearly circular orbits with low inclinations to the solar plane.
5
Q
What kuiper belt contains?
A
Contains billions of objects which were building blocks of planets.
