Nasa reveals first close-up pictures of Ultima Thule

Distant space rock looks like a ‘large red snowman’

Distant space rock called Ultima Thule revealed to look like a massive snowman
(Image credit: 2019 NASA)

Nasa has released its first close-up images of Ultima Thule, a 21-mile-tall lump of space rock that lies four billion miles away on the edge of the solar system.

Taken by Nasa’s New Horizons spacecraft, the pictures reveal an unusual shape that looks like a snowman - suggesting Ultima Thule was originally two separate rocks that collided and stuck together.

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