NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has returned stunning new images of the sunlit north pole of the dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt.
This image shows the north pole of the dwarf planet Ceres as seen by the Dawn spacecraft on April 10, 2015. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA.
The new images were taken on April 10, 2015 from a distance of 33,000 km (21,000 miles).
They represent the highest-resolution views of this planetary body to date.
Subsequent images of Ceres will show surface features at increasingly better resolution.
The Dawn mission made history on March 6, 2015 as the first spacecraft to reach a dwarf planet, and the first spacecraft to orbit two extraterrestrial targets.
Previously, the probe studied giant asteroid Vesta – the second most massive body in the main asteroid belt – from 2011 to 2012, uncovering numerous insights about its geology and history.
While Vesta is a dry body, Ceres is believed to be 25% water ice by mass.
By comparing these two objects, planetary researchers at NASA hope to better understand the formation of our Solar System.
Dawn has been using its ion propulsion system to maneuver to its first science orbit at Ceres, which it will reach on April 23.
It will remain at a distance of 13,500 km (8,400 miles) from the dwarf planet until May 9. Afterward, it will make its way to lower orbits.
