NASA's New Horizons spacecraft performed the farthest flyby in history as it approached the Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule on Tuesday.
The New Horizons made the flyby at 12:33 a.m. EST (0533 GMT) on Jan. 1, passing within 2,200 miles (about 3,540 km) of the surface of Ultima Thule at a velocity of 31,500 miles (about 50,694 km) per hour.
It will provide the first -up look at such a pristine building block of the solar system, according to NASA.