News Planetary Science

The latest picture of Ultima Thule reveals a remarkably smooth face

The object’s lack of craters suggests the Kuiper Belt isn’t filled with lots of space hazards

Ultima Thule

BARELY BLEMISHED  Kuiper Belt object MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule, is relatively free of craters, despite being billions of years old. That smooth face may mean there are few small Kuiper Belt objects.

JHUAPL, NASA, SwRI

By Lisa Grossman

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