Two new images from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft show mysterious bright spots and craters on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres.
This image of Ceres was acquired by the Dawn space probe on February 12, 2015. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA.
Dawn will arrive at Ceres on 6 March 2015, marking the first time that a spacecraft has ever orbited two target bodies in the Solar System.
The spacecraft previously explored the protoplanet Vesta for more than a year, from 2011 to 2012, capturing detailed images and insights about the second most massive body in the asteroid belt.
By comparing the two space objects, scientists plan to develop a better understanding of the formation of our Solar System.
The new images of Ceres were taken on February 12, 2015, at a distance of 83,000 km from the dwarf planet.
They pose intriguing questions for the Dawn team to explore as the spacecraft nears its destination.
This image of Ceres was taken about 10 hours after the first image. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA.
“As we slowly approach the stage, our eyes transfixed on Ceres and her planetary dance, we find she has beguiled us but left us none the wiser. We expected to be surprised; we did not expect to be this puzzled,” said Dr Chris Russell of the University of California, Los Angeles, who is the principal investigator of the Dawn mission.
As Dawn delivers better images and other data, the team will be investigating the nature and composition of the dwarf planet, including the nature of the craters and bright spots that are coming into focus.
