On New Year’s Eve, a NASA space probe barreling through the outer solar system will encounter a mysterious object dubbed Ultima Thule, in a historic flyby that promises to transform scientists’ understanding of the distant region.
Back on Earth, NASA will celebrate the milestone just past the stroke of midnight January 1 with an introduction like no other. Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May will launch a new song inspired by the mission from NASA control HQ in Maryland—his first official solo work in two decades.
