New Horizons, la sonda della NASA che nel 2015 sorvolò Plutone, punta verso il corpo celeste chiamato 2014 MU69. Quest'ultimo si trova ai confini del sistema solare ed è uno dei numerosi mondi ghiacciati presenti nell'universo.
Secondo il responsabile della missione Alan Stern, il veicolo farà un passaggio ravvicinato sopra il misterioso pianeta il primo gennaio 2019. "Stiamo progettando di volare il più vicino di quanto abbiamo fatto con Plutone – precisa Stern –. In questo modo potremo ottenere immagini con una risoluzione maggiore".
MU69, distante circa 6 miliardi e mezzo di chilometri dal sole, è stato scoperto nel 2014 grazie all'utilizzo del telescopio Hubble.
ANSA/MABO
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