Barring any unexpected interference, the space probe New Horizons—already having accomplished the incredible feat of beaming back imagery of distant Pluto—had completed an encore mission in the small hours of New Year’s Day by venturing to the outer reaches of the Solar System to explore a minor planet in the Kuiper Belt.
Incredibly (486958) 2014 MU₆₉ nicknamed Ultima Thule (something beyond the known world) was only discovered nine years after the mission was launched and after the encounter with Pluto and course was corrected afterwards to afford the chance for another fly-by as it prepares to leave the bounds of the Solar System and join the Voyager probes in interstellar space. No one is quite sure what to expect on this icy world, but after being approached by the chief scientist behind the mission, Queen guitarist and noted astrophysicist Brian May composed a single about the voyage and discover to help us while away the time, with the signals taking upwards of six hours to reach the Earth, even traveling at the speed of light.
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