Meet Arrokoth: Snowman-Shaped Ultima Thule Gets Official Name

[Makuser]

With the blessing of Powhatan Tribal elders and representatives, the International Astronomical Union and Minor Planets Center announced the title at a ceremony this week in Washington, D.C. “The name ‘Arrokoth’ reflects the inspiration of looking to the skies and wondering about the stars and worlds beyond our own,” Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute, said in a statement. “That desire to learn is at the heart of the New Horizons mission,” he continued. “And we’re honored to join with the Powhatan community and people of Maryland in this celebration of discovery.” New Horizons launched in January 2006 and conducted its first flight through the Pluto system more than nine years later. On New Year’s Day 2019, the spacecraft performed a record-breaking voyage to Arrokoth—nicknamed “Ultima Thule”—almost four billion miles away from the sun. You can read this entire interesting story here, at:
https://www.geek.com/news/meet-arrokoth ... e-1810290/

[notFritzArgelander]

Well now that the IAU says so, it is so named.

[smp]

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