The New Horizons spacecraft just revealed secrets of the most distant object we’ve ever visited
Arrokoth’s fragile construction hints at a tranquil formation. ( NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/Roman Tkachenko/)Even as the New Horizons team celebrated their spacecraft’s historic flyby of Pluto in the summer of 2015, they anguished over where to turn the probe next. After years of scouring the outer reaches of the solar system in vain with ground-based telescopes, the orbit-based Hubble’s keen eye finally helped them spot two potential targets. One looked invitingly bright, but a visit would have burnt every remaining drop of fuel in the spacecraft. The team decided to stay flexible and roll the dice on the dimmer speck. In October of 2015 New Horizons fired its engines and headed toward the mystery dot, now officially known as Arrokoth, with no idea what they might find.Now, five years later, their gamble appears to have paid off. Not only did New Horizons achieve a next-to flawless...