Preliminary Results Published From New Horizons Flyby of MU69 'Ultima Thule' (arxiv.org)

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Preliminary Results Published From New Horizons Flyby of MU69 'Ultima Thule' (arxiv.org)

Posted by BeauHD on Friday January 11, 2019 @10:00PM from the first-look dept.

RockDoctor writes: The NASA/SWRI/Lowell Observatory (and at least 3 universities) team managing the download of data from New Horizons has released a first look at the results downloaded so far. At the time of writing, about 4 days of about 600 days of downloading had been completed. The next milestone hinted at is for March 2019 when the LPSC (Lunar & Planetary Science Conference) will get another batch of data as the various science teams get more data out of the pipeline.

Results: Firstly the overall shape -- as hinted by the occultation results from nearly a year ago -- is a contact binary. There is a lot of work going on from that, about how it could have formed, its accretion history and thermal history. The rotation period is better known (and this will improve as more data is downloaded) at 15=/-1 hours. The mass remains unknown. The mass ratio of the two components (nicknamed "Ultima" and "Thule") is suspected to be the same as their volume ratio -- 2.6:1; to get an accurate mass, observation of a satellite is needed, but the trajectory change for the spacecraft is unlikely to be large enough to estimate the mass well. Very little data has come down yet about the mineralogy, but the color suggests there is less water ice on MU69 than on Nix, the satellite of Pluto similar in size to MU69. The reason for a bright region to mark the junction between the two lobes is not known.

That'll be the sum of the data for the next 10 weeks until the 50th LPSC on March 18th.

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So did they make contact... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 22:02 · Score: -1

...with the Aryans?
1. Re: So did they make contact... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 23:05 · Score: -1
  
  Average human is so overwhelmed by n1ggers, that is wishing for Adolf Hitler come back.
  Heil Hitler
2. Re: So did they make contact... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 23:29 · Score: -1
  
  Ezra 2:29 is shorter if you don't include spaces.
  BAM. I am Todd Bentley
3. Re: So did they make contact... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 23:30 · Score: 0
  
  I would have said something like that but I cant read
4. Re: So did they make contact... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 23:49 · Score: 0
  
  Jesus Wept
TRUMP WILL BE HANGED. by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 22:06 · Score: -1, Offtopic

FOR TREASON. TIE IT TIGHT.
1. Re: TRUMP WILL BE HANGED. by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 22:22 · Score: -1
  
  I gaurentee the only thing hung on Trump is his massive member. There is absolutely no problem there.
Trump is a chump. by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 22:13 · Score: -1

This orange baboon is poisoning himself with his junk food diet. Melania stopped spreading her legs for him years ago, and is waiting him out before she joins her beloved Putin in the Kremlin.
Editing, anyone? by Lorens · 2019-01-11 22:30 · Score: 1

Today I learned that operators like =/- exist... in some minds at least.
And if the reason for a bright region to mark the junction between the two lobes is not known, then maybe there is no reason to have one, and we should look for the reason that there actually is one.
1. Re: Editing, anyone? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 23:28 · Score: -1
  
  Ezra 2:29 is shorter if you don't include spaces.
  BAM. I am Todd Bentley!!
2. Re: Editing, anyone? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 00:09 · Score: 0
  
  What??? In what language? Not typescript. How could you possibly tell the difference between /= and =/?? If you can concoct a code sample that demonstrates a self-consistent operator usage I might believe you. It will take you a few weeks I bet if at all. Donâ(TM)t google it, whatever you do. Stackoverflow is full of long-winded autistic types who will claim it is easy or that it cant be done at all
3. Re: Editing, anyone? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 02:12 · Score: 0
  
  It isn't a programming language, it is an expression of tolerance.
  Think "10 hours +/- 1 hour" to express an interval between 9-11 hours.
  Well, sometimes, especially in mechanical drawings, it isn't acceptable to be over a measurement but you can accept being slightly below it. (A pin that is too small will still fit in a hole, is it too large it won't.)
  Then you have to omit the '+' tolerance.
  15 =/- 1 hours means that it is 15 hours but could be up to an hour less.
  15 +/= 1 hours would mean at least 15 hours but no more than 16.
4. Re: Editing, anyone? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 02:26 · Score: 0
  
  Sure, the notation make sense, but then why did the submitter change 15+/-1 (from to article) to 15=/-1. and not to 16=/-2?
5. Re:Editing, anyone? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 05:31 · Score: 0
  
  > And if the reason for a bright region to mark the junction between the two lobes is not known, then maybe there is no reason to have one, and we should look for the reason that there actually is one.
  Fortunately there is the internet to inform NASA about hard-to-come-by but brilliant avenues of research.
6. Re: Editing, anyone? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 21:19 · Score: 0
  
  I'm guessing not pressing the Shift key might have been a factor...
7. Re:Editing, anyone? by RockDoctor · 2019-01-13 08:38 · Score: 1
  
  Clap. Clap. Clap.
  And your list of accepted submissions is how long?
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
frozen "MAG~MA"? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 22:37 · Score: 0

looks like a parade float launched out of a volcano?
1. Re: frozen "MAG~MA"? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 00:29 · Score: 0
  
  No no, this is just god making snowmen.
So why the lack of the light curve? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 22:39 · Score: 0

Nobody has said anything, did they find out why it lacks the light curve?
1. Re:So why the lack of the light curve? by pslytely+psycho · 2019-01-11 23:05 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Per the Wiki:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(486958)_2014_MU69
  
  "Despite 2014 MU69's irregular shape, there is no detectable light curve amplitude, as its axis is oriented on its side, pointing towards the Sun."
  
  They came on it from it's pole. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be Rama.....
  
  --
  Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
2. Re:So why the lack of the light curve? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 23:37 · Score: 0
  
  *Ramen
  your welcum
3. Re:So why the lack of the light curve? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 00:20 · Score: 0
  
  Gravity is a very rare thing in the universe. We (on Earth) assume it exists everywhere
  at a level that we're "used to," but most of the universe has very, very little gravity (especially
  between galaxies). So when we see things like this we think they're unusual (and I know
  this object is still in our solar system), but where we are is most probably the exception
  to how most object are in the universe. As we look further and further, we're gonna see
  really strange things - but it'll just be "normal" ...
  CAP === 'stimuli'
4. Re: So why the lack of the light curve? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 01:00 · Score: -1
  
  My dick is the size of a planet and your mom's black hole has so much gravity it keeps trying to sick it in.
5. Re: So why the lack of the light curve? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 12:53 · Score: 0
  
  You nasty, fat bastard.
6. Re:So why the lack of the light curve? by RockDoctor · 2019-01-13 08:45 · Score: 2
  
  They came on it from it's pole.
  
  With the data that has downloaded so far (which is not a lot more than when I wrote the submission, because MU69 is close to the sun in the sky which interferes with the about 10^-20 W of signal from the spacecraft), they don't know the rotation rate well (15+/-1 hours) nor the orientation of the rotation axis. It is also possible that it is tumbling and has no rotation axis.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
7. Re:So why the lack of the light curve? by RockDoctor · 2019-01-13 09:09 · Score: 2
  
  The two lobes don't occult each other much as they rotate, as seen from the Sun/ Earth/ New Horizons direction. So probably the axis is not far from this direction.
  That would imply that it's rotation axis is not far from laying in the fundamental plane of the solar system, similar to the Pluto/Charon system and Uranus. Which makes me go "Hmmm, interesting."
  While no coherent light curve for MU69 has been modelled, there is variation in the brightness. See, for example, fig 5 of https://arxiv.org/pdf/1812.047... (caption includes "Although there is quite a bit of scatter in the data and we cannot determine the period, it is possible to hide a lightcurve amplitude of up to 0.6 magnitudes within this dataset.") "No rotation" is possible (but unlikely) ; slow rotation (much less than the 9 day intense observation campaign, for example) is also possible ; irregular rotation ("tumbling") is possible.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
TB by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-11 23:29 · Score: -1

Ezra 2:29 is shorter if you don't include spaces.
BAM. I am Todd Bentley!
Billions spent. by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 00:40 · Score: -1

And we found a rock. Wow.
1. Re:Billions spent. by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 00:45 · Score: 0
  
  NASA should be defending us against aliens. Mexico aliens. BUILD THE WALL.
2. Re: Billions spent. by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 00:53 · Score: 0
  
  Tell one of these tech billionaires to build the wall. Oh Gates is busy stomping out parasites? Buffet is busy making speeches about his sexretarys tax rates? Zuckerberg is busy testifying? Bezos is too busy with his divorce accountants? Jeez
3. Re:Billions spent. by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 08:59 · Score: 0
  
  Astronomers have not directly observed planetary formation yet. This rock is the closest humans are ever going to get to witnessing one of the physical processes involved in accretion.
  They aren't surprised, but are in fact very gratified to find something like they expected to see.
4. Re:Billions spent. by RockDoctor · 2019-01-13 09:12 · Score: 1
  
  Errr, Coward, this is the second use of this spacecraft. Billions of dollars saved.
  I almost forgot why I normally exclude ACs from even being read.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
Roller ball by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-12 04:55 · Score: 0

It is possible that the two balls are in contact but roll around a little bit, causing the white (ice?) contact area.
1. Re:Roller ball by RockDoctor · 2019-01-13 09:21 · Score: 2
  
  Let's think it through. A force exists to move the lobes from one position to another - a few degrees, but it's still several hundreds of metres of movement, but that's OK, forces can do that. But then, the force reverses.
  Do you know any forces that reverse like that? I can only think of one that would work in space - if there were another body in orbit with the main body. Pushing, then pulling.
  But - that is precisely why both Hubble and the cameras on NH have performed long exposure ("deep", to low brightness) searches of the vicinity of MU69 over the last couple of years. IF there is such a satellite, then it is either very small (I think the limit of 1.5km diameter has been mentioned) and so only capable of producing small forces, OR it is extremely dark (but can be larger, producing greater forces).
  Data is coming. I fucking love science.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
2. Re:Roller ball by RockDoctor · 2019-01-13 09:38 · Score: 1
  
  Hmmm, interesting proposition when I was looking at this.
  "All planetesimals born near the Kuiper Belt formed as binaries"
  https://arxiv.org/abs/1705.00683
  
  The cold classical Kuiper belt objects have low inclinations and eccentricities and are the only Kuiper belt population suspected to have formed in situ. Compared with the dynamically excited populations, which exhibit a broad range of colours and a low binary fraction of ~10% cold classical Kuiper belt objects typically have red optical colours with ~30% of the population found in binary pairs; the origin of these differences remains unclear. We report the detection of a population of blue-coloured, tenuously bound binaries residing among the cold classical Kuiper belt objects. Here we show that widely separated binaries could have survived push-out into the cold classical region during the early phases of Neptune's migration.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"