| Trump praises Mnuchin but hits Fed again on rate rises Posted: 25 Dec 2018 12:30 PM PST  Trump expressed confidence in Steven Mnuchin amid worries over the economy and a stock market slump but repeated his criticism of the Federal Reserve.
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| 8-Year-Old Boy Dies on Christmas Morning in Border Control Custody Posted: 25 Dec 2018 11:20 AM PST  According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the unidentified boy died in the early hours of Christmas Day after showing "signs of potential illness" on Monday. CBP said the boy, accompanied by his father, was taken to a hospital Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
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| Pope Francis issues plea for peace in the Middle East in Christmas Day address Posted: 24 Dec 2018 05:15 PM PST  Pope Francis has used his traditional Christmas Day address urging people to overcome their religious and cultural differences to end conflict in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East. Delivering his sixth "Urbi et Orbi" address to 50,000 people gathered in Saint Peter's Square on Tuesday, the pope said Jesus Christ had given the world "fraternity" and differences should not be seen as a "detriment or a danger" but "a source of richness". "My wish for a happy Christmas is a wish for fraternity," the pope said. "All of us are brothers and sisters in humanity." Just days after Donald Trump, the US president, announced he would withdraw American troops from Syria and urged Saudi Arabia to help rebuild the country, the pope called for an urgent political solution that would allow millions of Syrian refugees to return home. "May the international community work decisively for a political solution that can put aside divisions and partisan interests, so that the Syrian people, especially all those who were forced to leave their own lands and seek refuge elsewhere, can return to live in peace in their own country," the pope said. "Urbi et Orbi" means "to the city and the world". Pope Francis waves after delivering the "Urbi et Orbi" message from the main balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica Credit: REUTERS/Max Rossi The 82-year-old pontiff delivered his message as thousands of pilgrims gathered in brilliant sunshine to celebrate the birth of Christ amid tight security at the Vatican. Last week police in southern Italy arrested a Somali man suspected of having been a member of Islamic State and who had threatened to bomb churches in Italy, including St. Peter's Basilica. After appealing for peace in Syria, the pope also called for a resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians and a political solution in Yemen. Members of the Swiss Guard were present during the "Urbi et Orbi" message at the Vatican Credit: REUTERS/Max Rossi "My thoughts turn to Yemen, in the hope that the truce brokered by the international community may finally bring relief to all those children and people exhausted by war and famine," the pope said. Francis also turned his attention to other hotspots in the world, calling for further rapprochement on the Korean Peninsula and peace in Ukraine which he said was "yearning to regain a lasting peace that is slow to come". He also appealed for "social harmony" in Venezuela and reconciliation in Nicaragua. The pope's concern for migrants and refugees was not overlooked. He called for an end to conflict in Africa "where millions of people are refugees, or displaced or in need of humanitarian assistance and food security". Pope Francis prays in front of a Nativity scene Credit: Gregorio Borgia/AP On Christmas Eve the pope expressed his concern about the widening gap between rich and poor and the damage caused by "insatiable greed". "An insatiable greed marks all human history, even today, when, paradoxically, a few dine luxuriantly while all too many go without the daily bread needed to survive," the pope said.
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| Winter storm in the West could hamper post-Christmas travel Posted: 24 Dec 2018 06:13 PM PST  The low pressure system is bringing snow and rain to the West but then continues across the nation throughout the week
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| North, South Korea Open Rail Project Despite Sanctions Barrier Posted: 25 Dec 2018 11:13 PM PST ![North, South Korea Open Rail Project Despite Sanctions Barrier]( "North, South Korea Open Rail Project Despite Sanctions Barrier") Long-stalled plans to restore rail links severed by the Korean War were revived in historic summits by North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in earlier this year. While South Korea said the Security Council granted an exemption to United Nations sanctions Tuesday to allow the ceremony to proceed, additional relief would be needed to start construction. "The result of the North and South Korean railway and road project depends on our nation's mental strength and will.
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| Death toll from attack in Afghan capital climbs to 40 Posted: 25 Dec 2018 04:55 AM PST  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The death toll from an attack in the Afghan capital has climbed to 40, the Health Ministry said Tuesday, as police and rescue workers combed through the smoldering public welfare building where the gunmen held out for eight hours against security forces.
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| US lawsuit blames Lion Air crash on Boeing's 'dangerous' airplane Posted: 26 Dec 2018 08:26 AM PST  A lawsuit filed in Chicago blames Boeing for the deadly Lion Air crash off the coast of Indonesia that killed all onboard, claiming the manufacturer's airplane was "unreasonably dangerous," a US law firm announced Wednesday. The suit, filed Monday in the Midwestern city where Boeing is based, alleges the two-month-old plane's safety system improperly engaged and pilots were not adequately instructed by the plane manufacturer on how to respond. Lion Air Flight 610 vanished from radar 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta on October 29, crashing into waters off the north coast of Indonesia's Java Island and killing all 189 people onboard.
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| Trump spends Christmas Eve shutdown 'all alone,' tweeting his frustrations Posted: 24 Dec 2018 11:26 AM PST  'Twas the night before Christmas, and in the White House the president was firing off a ferocious tweet storm.
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| Russia says the mysterious hole in its Soyuz rocket may have been sabotage Posted: 25 Dec 2018 10:42 AM PST  We already knew that Russia was in the midst of an incredibly deep investigation into the origins of a strange hole that was found in a part of its Soyuz space vehicle earlier this year. The part of the ship that was damaged is no more -- it was jettisoned during reentry and burned up -- but samples taken from the damaged area are now being studied by Russian authorities as they try to explain how such a thing happened. Sergei Prokopyev, one of the cosmonauts that rode back down to Earth last week aboard the Soyuz craft, told reporters at a new conference that the investigation is still ongoing. Samples gathered during a recent spacewalk should hopefully be the final piece to whatever puzzle officials are trying to piece together. Russia's handling of the investigation has the full support of NASA, but it's worth noting that the country's messaging hasn't exactly been consistent in the days, weeks, and months following the discovery of the hole. Initially thought to be damage sustained by a tiny space rock, once the hole was determined to be manmade a whole lot of finger pointing ensued. Russia's Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin seeded the idea that the hole was created while the spacecraft was docked to the ISS, hinting that it might have been the work of someone on board. Those theories were squashed rather quickly and, in the days after the crew found the leak, word out of Russia suggested a culprit may have already been found. Those unofficial threads never materialized into anything more concrete, and we've now been waiting months for Russia to announce what it has found during the lengthy investigation. Russia's early assertion that the hole was some kind of sabotage, perhaps during the manufacturing process, is an incredibly serious allegation. It's unclear what punishment one or more individuals might face if the country determines that someone intentionally tried to harm its cosmonaut crew (not to mention NASA astronauts), but now that ship itself is back on solid ground we might learn more before long.
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| Pope Francis Calls for Stronger Bonds of Brotherhood Across the World in Christmas Message Posted: 25 Dec 2018 07:05 AM PST  Pope Francis offered a Christmas wish for fraternity among people of different nations, cultures, faiths, races or ideas.
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| 2018's white Christmas restricted to the interior Northeast, Upper Midwest and mountainous West Posted: 24 Dec 2018 12:18 PM PST  Those hoping for a white Christmas this year will be disappointed unless they live in the northern tier of the country or in the higher elevations.
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| Steady, Not Strong as Southeast Asia Faces Growth Risks in 2019 Posted: 25 Dec 2018 01:00 PM PST  The Federal Reserve is set to keep everyone on edge as it navigates an even trickier interest-rate path in 2019, while the trade war between the U.S. and China is already hurting exports in the region. The Philippines might eke out a small gain in growth in 2019, if their bets that inflation will diminish come to fruition. "Asean growth and inflation look set to soften in 2019," said Tamara Henderson at Bloomberg Economics.
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| 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country vs. 2019 Ford F-150 Limited vs. 2019 Ram 1500 Limited Posted: 26 Dec 2018 08:15 AM PST |
| North Korea ordered to pay parents, estate of student $500M Posted: 24 Dec 2018 09:05 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ordered North Korea to pay more than $500 million in a wrongful death suit filed by the parents of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died shortly after being released from that country.
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| Syria state media says Israeli planes attack targets near Damascus Posted: 25 Dec 2018 02:41 PM PST  Israeli war planes attacked with missiles unspecified targets near Damascus, the Syrian capital, on Tuesday and injured three Syrian soldiers, Syrian state media quoted a military source as saying. "Our air defenses confronted hostile missiles launched by Israeli war planes from above the Lebanese territories and downed most of them before reaching their targets," the military source said. The nature of the Israeli missiles targets was unclear.
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| Photos and DNA tests as Indonesians search for lost relatives Posted: 26 Dec 2018 05:51 AM PST  Grief-stricken Indonesians queued with photos or waited on DNA tests Wednesday, to find out if their missing loved ones were among bodies being held in a hospital morgue after a devastating tsunami tore families apart. "I'm scared," said Tubagus Cecep, 63, as he waited nervously at a hospital in devastated Carita for test results on a body he fears could be that of his son.
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| 2018 Was The Year Donald Trump Declared Total War On Immigrants Posted: 26 Dec 2018 05:00 AM PST  Donald Trump is doing exactly what he promised to do back when he kicked off
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| Stocks open higher after Christmas Eve rout, buoyed by Amazon's record holiday sales Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:04 AM PST  Stocks largely opened higher in Wednesday trading, two days after the Standard & Poor's 500 teetered on the brink of bear territory.
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| Police 'unequivocally' affirm London airport drone sightings Posted: 24 Dec 2018 12:52 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Chagrined county police in England insisted Monday that drone sightings over London's Gatwick Airport were authentic, while a local man who was arrested and cleared as a suspect in the aerial mystery that brought days of travel havoc said he felt "completely violated."
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| How the 14,000 Migrant Children in Federal Custody Will Spend Christmas Posted: 24 Dec 2018 01:43 PM PST  For many, it will be their first Christmas away from home
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| China vs. Russia (In the Air): J-20 Stealth Fighter vs. Su-57 (Who Wins?) Posted: 24 Dec 2018 12:00 PM PST  Here is what we can tell you.
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| Turkey Is Said to Plan Meeting on Possible Patriot Purchase Posted: 26 Dec 2018 03:34 AM PST ![Turkey Is Said to Plan Meeting on Possible Patriot Purchase]( "Turkey Is Said to Plan Meeting on Possible Patriot Purchase") The Presidency of Defense Industries is expected to hold a preliminary discussion on a possible purchase of the American system, the official said, asking not to be identified because he wasn't authorized to disclose the meeting plans. Turkey's presidency confirmed the planned meeting but wouldn't say what was on the agenda. Although a detailed assessment is unlikely at such an early stage, the discussion itself reflects the rapid detente between Ankara and Washington that's currently underway after years of strain that culminated with since-lifted U.S. sanctions on Turkey.
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| Why the Ferrari F50 is the most underrated supercar Posted: 25 Dec 2018 03:00 AM PST  The Ferrari F50 often lives in the shadow of the F40 and Enzo, but this lightweight supercar deserves its own place in history
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| What could Mueller's final report reveal? Posted: 26 Dec 2018 03:08 AM PST  Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton weighs in.
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| Trump praises Treasury Secretary Mnuchin but hits Fed again on rate rises Posted: 26 Dec 2018 05:07 AM PST  Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after a Christmas video conference with U.S. troops deployed abroad, Trump also said U.S. companies were "the greatest in the world" and presented a "tremendous" buying opportunity. Asked if he has confidence in Mnuchin, Trump said: "Yes, I do. The S&P 500 has lost about 19.8 percent from its Sept. 20 closing high, just shy of the 20 percent threshold that commonly defines a bear market.
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| Trump compares Fed to a 'golfer who can't score' as markets tumble Posted: 24 Dec 2018 10:36 AM PST  Trump criticized the Federal Reserve, blaming it for a series of Wall Street selloffs while comparing it to a "golfer who can't score."
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| Indonesia tsunami: Death toll rises to 373 amid fears Krakatoa could trigger another wave any time Posted: 24 Dec 2018 03:41 PM PST  Rescuers searched for more survivors and victims on debris-strewn beaches on Monday as Indonesia reeled from the second deadly tsunami to hit it this year. The waves that swept terrified people into the sea on Saturday night along the Sunda Strait followed an eruption and possible landslide on Anak Krakatau, whose name means "Child of Krakatoa and is one of the world's most infamous volcanic islands. Scientists said on Monday that a large chunk of the southern flank of the volcanic island may have slipped into the ocean just minutes before the tsunami hit. Such a scenario could strike anytime without any warning. The death toll has risen to 373, with more than 1,000 people injured along the coastlines of western Java and southern Sumatra islands, the national disaster agency said on Monday. "The number of victims and damage will continue to rise," said agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. Aid agencies were quick to deploy to the area, located just a few hours drive from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. The roads were challenging but passable, Aulia Arriani, a spokesperson for the Indonesian Red Cross told the Telegraph. Indonesia tsunami after eruption - in pictures "Our challenge is to find the missing and to evacuate the people who are still trapped. In the first phase of emergency response we will be evacuating people for the next two to three days," she said. Ms Arriani added that local hospitals and clinics had been flooded with casualties and dead bodies. "People in the disaster are need food, drinking water, tarpaulins and medical help," she said. The Indonesian Medical Association says it is sending more doctors and medical equipment and that many of the injured are in need of orthopedic and neurosurgery expertise. It says most patients are domestic tourists who were visiting the beach during the long holiday weekend. Indonesian earthquake and tsunami The tsunami that struck the island of Sulawesi on September 28 was accompanied by a powerful earthquake that gave residents a brief warning before the waves struck. On Saturday night, the ground did not shake beforehand to alert people to the oncoming wave that ripped buildings from their foundations in seconds and swept terrified concertgoers on a resort beach into the sea. Dramatic video posted on social media showed the Indonesian pop band Seventeen performing under a tent on Tanjung Lesung beach at a concert for employees of a state-owned electricity company. At least four band members and support crew were killed, lead singer Riefian "Ifan" Fajarsyah told followers in a tearful Instagram account. The band's drummer was among the missing, as was his wife, Dylan Sahara, whose 26th birthday it was on Sunday. An Indonesia policeman searches for victims amongst the debris at the Mutiara Carita Cottages in Carita in Banten province The worst-affected area was the Pandeglang region of Java's Banten province, which encompasses Ujung Kulon National Park and popular beaches, the agency said. Joko Widodo, the Indonesian president, who is scheduled to visit the stricken area on Monday, expressed his sympathy and ordered government agencies to respond quickly to the disaster. "My deep condolences to the victims in Banten and Lumpung provinces," he said. "Hopefully, those who are left have patience." In the city of Bandar Lampung on Sumatra, hundreds of residents took refuge at the governor's office, while at the popular resort area of Anyer beach on Java, some survivors wandered in the debris. A man walks through debris after hit by tsunami as they carry their belongings Many of those affected were domestic tourists enjoying the long holiday weekend, but foreigners were visiting the area ahead of Christmas as well. Some roads remained blocked by debris and traffic, with families streaming out of the area for fear of further tsunamis. Why a landslide was the likely trigger Scientists said on Monday that the consensus, based on satellite images and the information available, was that the collapse of a portion of the volcano triggered the killer waves. This aerial picture taken on December 23, 2018 by Bisnis Indonesia shows the Anak (Child) Krakatoa volcano erupting in the Sunda Straits off the coast of southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java Images captured by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 satellite showed that a large portion on the southern flank of the volcano slid off into the ocean. "Underwater landside is the leading theory," said Sam Taylor-Offord, a seismologist at GNS Science in Wellington. "So when that land pushes into the ocean ... it displaces the ocean surface causing the vertical displacement that causes the tsunami," he said, adding however that the lack of data and access made it impossible to ascertain this theory. Wow. This is the volcano "Child of Krakatoa" believed to have caused the Indonesian Tsunami. Video courtesy of Susi Air #tsunamipic.twitter.com/v99DT1KJ4N— David Lipson (@davidlipson) December 23, 2018 Anak Krakatau, halfway between Java and Sumatra, has been spewing ash and lava for months. It erupted about 24 minutes before the tsunami struck, and that could have triggered the landslide. Taylor-Offord said the eruption and "high noise environment" may be why the landslide was not recorded seismically. The fact the tsunami was triggered by a volcano, and not by an earthquake, may be the reason why no tsunami warning was signalled, scientists said. Coastal residents reported not seeing or feeling any warning signs, such as an earthquake or receding water along the shore, before waves up to 10 feet high surged in. Jose Borrero, coastal engineering expert specialising in tsunami hazards at eCoast Marine Consulting, said landslide-generated volcanic tsunami behave idiosyncratically, compared with tsunami generated by earthquakes, which are better studied. This is because there are so many different variables and there is a "sweet spot" of exactly the right speed and volume of rocks slipping into and sea and deeper to generate a wave. "In Indonesia, we've all been waiting for another big earthquake tsunami and then boom, here we have a volcanic landslide one," Mr Borrero said. Krakatoa eruption - map "I've seen a few bits of imagery that suggest there's some sort of slant collapse that may extend underwater but none of this will be confirmed until there can be an offshore survey where they go and map the sea floor." Anak Krakatau or "child of Krakatau" emerged from the Krakatau volcano, which in 1888 erupted with such force the blast was heard all the way in Perth, said Mika McKinnon, a geophysicist based in Vancouver, Canada. Further eruptions have continued from the massive crater left behind. Mr McKinnon said volcanoes were weak, sloppy heaps of loosely bound rocks all slanted downhill and they slip off all the time. There are no early warnings systems that can detect such landslide-driven tsunami and Anak Krakatau is so close to shore there would never have been enough time to react and clear out the population. "It's hard to identify landslide-triggered tsunami, especially quickly enough to issue useful warnings," said Mr McKinnon. "A similar event at Anak Krakatau might trigger another one, or it might not. Maybe a month later, or year from now. We will never know," she said.
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| Pro-Turkish rebels reinforce near city in northern Syria Posted: 26 Dec 2018 06:50 AM PST  Pro-Turkish armed groups have reinforced their presence on the outskirts of the city of Manbij in northern Syria as Ankara threatens a new offensive against Kurdish forces, sources said Wednesday. Turkey announced in mid-December that it would launch a fresh military campaign against the Kurdish People's Protection Units, a militia in Syria that Ankara considers a terrorist group. The United States has backed Kurdish fighters in northern Syria as part of an international coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group.
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| 16 Famous Authors’ Houses Worth Seeing Posted: 26 Dec 2018 05:00 AM PST |
| Bonhams to auction off striking 1968 Shelby GT350 Fastback Posted: 26 Dec 2018 05:39 AM PST  A meticulously restored classic Shelby GT350 is heading to auction, and this car is about as perfect as they come
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| Delta flight makes emergency landing on Alaskan island due to 'a potential engine issue' Posted: 25 Dec 2018 02:45 PM PST ![Delta flight makes emergency landing on Alaskan island due to 'a potential engine issue']( "Delta flight makes emergency landing on Alaskan island due to 'a potential engine issue'") Delta Air Lines passengers faced a Christmas Eve scare when a Seattle-bound flight made an emergency landing on a small Alaskan Island.
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| Global Stock Angst Snowballs as Nikkei 225 Enters Bear Market Posted: 25 Dec 2018 08:42 AM PST  Shares in China, the other major Asian market open on Tuesday, also declined as investors shrugged off a pledge by the government to do more to support companies. Investors got mixed signals from Washington heading into the resumption of U.S. stock futures trading at 6 p.m. New York time. President Donald Trump said a partial U.S. government shutdown will continue until funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall is secure.
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| In tsunami-ravaged parts of Indonesia, a somber Christmas Posted: 25 Dec 2018 11:34 AM PST  Communities in Indonesia still reeling from a tsunami that killed 429 people and swept away homes and businesses marked a bleak Christmas on Tuesday.
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| Destruction of tunnels from Lebanon 'nearly done': Netanyahu Posted: 25 Dec 2018 10:13 AM PST  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the Israeli army's operation to locate and destroy cross-border tunnels dug by Hezbollah from Lebanon was near completion. "The IDF (Israeli army) briefed us on its actions in neutralising the tunnels," Netanyahu said.
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| 'You Hold the Line.' James Mattis Sends Last Christmas Message to U.S. Troops Posted: 26 Dec 2018 12:00 AM PST  The retired Marine General will no longer be Secretary of Defense from Jan. 1
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| Best Bites: Lobster pot pie Posted: 26 Dec 2018 05:00 AM PST  Welcome to Best Bites, a twice-weekly video series that aims to satisfy your
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| Sheriff's Deputies Comfort Each Other After Police Dog Is Killed Taking Down Murder Suspect Posted: 25 Dec 2018 09:04 AM PST  A police dog serving the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office was killed Monday in a shooting, authorities said.
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| How the new Honda NSX learned from Japan's original supercar Posted: 26 Dec 2018 05:48 AM PST  The new hybrid enhanced Honda NSX might appear far removed from its legendary ancestor, but driving the pair back-to-back reveals a shared DNA.
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| Russia asks West to try to calm its Kerch Strait tensions with Ukraine Posted: 26 Dec 2018 02:13 AM PST  Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday it hoped Western countries would not take part in any Ukrainian attempt to stage what it called "a provocation" near the Kerch Strait and dissuade Kiev from escalating tensions in the area. Ukraine said last week it planned to send warships to its Azov Sea ports via the Kerch Strait despite Russia's seizure of three navy vessels and their crews in the area in November. British defense minister Gavin Williamson visited Ukraine last week where he told his Ukrainian counterpart that the Black Sea did not belong to Russia and that Britain had sent a Royal Navy ship there to show Kiev did not stand alone.
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| Trump offers holiday greetings to US troops Posted: 25 Dec 2018 08:59 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday wished U.S. troops stationed around the country and the world a merry Christmas.
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| After the holidays, your Christmas trees can be a gift to goats Posted: 25 Dec 2018 04:03 AM PST  Consider it a call to out to bleating-heart environmentalists: Your after-holiday tannenbaums can go to feed some hungry goats and sheep.
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| Clashes in Yemen's Hodeida ahead of UN truce team meeting Posted: 26 Dec 2018 12:16 AM PST  Sporadic clashes erupted Wednesday in Yemen's flashpoint city of Hodeida, an AFP correspondent said, as a UN-led truce monitoring team was scheduled to convene for the first time. Government forces -- backed by a Saudi-led coalition -- and the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels exchanged gunfire in the latest breach of the ceasefire. A truce in Hodeida and its surroundings went into effect on December 18 but has remained shaky, with the two sides accusing each other of violations.
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| NASA gets ever-closer to its encounter with a distant world 1 billion miles past Pluto Posted: 26 Dec 2018 03:00 AM PST  It's getting bigger. Last week, NASA released photos of the space exploration craft New Horizons gradually approaching an ancient, little-known object in deep space, called Ultima Thule. Ultima orbits the sun one billion miles past Pluto, and NASA expects to swoop close to the far-off object soon after midnight, on January 1, 2019. It will be humanity's farthest-ever encounter with another world. "What will Ultima reveal? No one knows," Alan Stern, the NASA planetary scientist leading the deep space mission, wrote last week. Ultima Thule getting bigger, and brighter.Image: nasaNASA suspects Ultima is a type of icy mass formed some 4.5 billion years ago, during the inception of our solar system. But since then, hovering in the profoundly cold outer reaches of the solar system, Ultima is presumed to have been preserved largely in its pristine, primeval state — allowing scientists to see the distant past. "In effect, Ultima should be a valuable window into the early stages of planet formation and what the solar system was like over 4.5 billion years ago," said Stern. Ultima is formally classified as a "Kuiper Belt Object," which is a ring of icy worlds that encircles the solar system beyond the last major planet, Neptune. It is a "region of leftovers from the solar system's early history," says NASA. SEE ALSO: The secretive lab that built 'the bomb' now scours Mars for signs of life Ultima has already proven somewhat mysterious. From previous images, scientists learned that Ultima probably has a weird, non-spherical shape. But as New Horizons travels closer, the pattern of light reflecting off off of Ultima, or its light curve, is inconsistent. With most other objects, these light patterns repeat as the objects spin. "It's really a puzzle," said Stern in a statement. Other New Horizons scientists mused that a dust cloud or moons "tumbling" around Ultima might be producing the strange light curve. But, there is one thing that's almost certain. On December 15, Stern's team concluded there were no obstructions between New Horizons — a triangular spacecraft 7 feet long and 9 feet tall — and Ultima Thule. Images of Ultima Thule from Dec. 2, 2018.Image: nasaStern told NASA that the deep space probe is now "Go" to closely approach Ultima. In the summer of 2015, New Horizons flew by Pluto. It captured unprecedented detail of the dwarf planet, its mountains, cliffs, and icy plains. The exploration craft flew 7,000 miles from Pluto's surface. But it will get much closer to Ultima Thule, swooping 2,200 miles above the little-known object. The first images are expected back early on New Years Day, about 30 minutes after the ball drops in Times Square. "The Ultima Thule flyby is going to be fast, it's going to be challenging, and it's going to yield new knowledge," said Stern. "Being the most distant exploration of anything in history, it's also going to be historic." We'll be watching. To watch the images come in during Ultima's approach, tune into a livestream from NASA TV beginning around 12:15 a.m. ET, Jan. 1, 2019. WATCH: Ever wonder how the universe might end?
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