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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

PT1, the potential target for New Horizons after Pluto

PT1, the potential target for New Horizons after Pluto
PT1, the potential target for New Horizons after Pluto PT1 is a small, likely lumpy object, only 30-45 kilometers across. The view takes in nearly the entire solar system, with the Sun and the four giant planets appearing as bright stars. NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)

The Sun appears as a bright star at image center in this graphic, which represents the view from the KBO. The Earth and other inner planets are too close to the Sun to be seen in this illustration. The bright "star" to the left of the Sun is the planet Jupiter, and the bright object below the Sun is the planet Saturn. Two bright pinpoints of light to the right of the Sun, midway to the edge of the frame, are the planets Uranus and Neptune, respectively. The planet positions are plotted for late 2018 when the New Horizons probe reaches a distance of 4 billion miles from the Sun. The Milky Way appears in the background.