NASA releases first images of new world

Space Agency's New Horizons sends back detailed photos of Ultima Thule

LOS ANGELES - Scientists from NASA's New Horizons mission on Wednesday released the first detailed images of the most distant object ever explored - the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule, unveiling the very first stages of the solar system's history.

The new images - taken from as close as about 27,000 km on approach - revealed Ultima Thule as a "contact binary", consisting of two connected spheres, said NASA.