First Ultima Thule science results are published

The first scientific results from the Ultima Thule flyby have been published.

We learned a lot about an object four billion miles away from Earth.

One of the big takeaways -- it's red.

"In color and composition, Ultima Thule resembles many other objects found in its area of the Kuiper Belt. It's very red - redder even than much larger, 1,500-mile (2,400-kilometer) wide Pluto, which New Horizons explored at the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt in 2015 - and is in fact the reddest outer solar system object ever visited by spacecraft; its reddish hue is believed to be caused by modification of the organic materials on its surface."

There's still more to learn - the New Horizons spacecraft that flew by Ultima Thule is still sending back data, and will continue to send back data into the year 2020.