Are you ready for the final tradition of the holiday season? As I’m sure you are aware, groups large and small will gather tonight to count down the final moments of 2018. At the end of the countdown what do you get exactly though? Another new year sure, but we’ve all seen our share of those. This year, why not keep the countdown but break with tradition and mark the time to something super cool and meaningful.
What might that be you ask? Well tonight the scrappy New Horizons probe, last seen passing Pluto, will be making a close flyby of a mysterious object 4 billion miles from the sun. Virtually nothing is known about this object, which has been given the kick ass name Ultima Thule, so everything New Horizons records and sends back will be brand spanking new science. In addition, this will be the most distant planetary flyby that has yet to be attempted.
In a happy coincidence, New Horizons will be closest to Ultima Thule at 12:33 AM Eastern time (9:33 PM for us on the west coast) to coincide with the new year. You can countdown and follow all the action at the New Horizons website. While you are there, investigate all of the great accomplishments New Horizons has already achieved, including spectacular images of icy Pluto. If you prefer your information in book form, of course we have you covered here at the library with Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto by Alan Stern.
So create a tradition of your own and count down to New Horizon’s flyby of Ultima Thule. As a bonus, you can forget trying to remember the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne.