Bright spots observed on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres have been mystifying scientists and the public since they were first captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft in April, and brand new images provide further insight into the phenomenon.
The closest views of the Occator crater to date reveals well-defined shapes of the brightest-known central spot and new features on the crater floor, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported.
The Occator crater is almost vertical in some regions, and rises for about one mile. The images from the current orbit were taken at a distance of only 915 miles, and provide images with a three times better resolution than what was seen during the spacecraft's previous orbit in June, and 10 times better than its first orbit in April.
"Dawn has transformed what was so recently a few bright dots into a complex and beautiful, gleaming landscape," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Soon, the scientific analysis will reveal the geological and chemical nature of this mysterious and mesmerizing extraterrestrial scenery."
Over the next two months, Dawn will map Ceres from its current orbit, allowing sicentists to assemble stereo views and 3-D maps. Dawn is the first spaceraft to ever visit Ceres, and it previously mapped the protoplanet Vesta for 14 months in 2011 and 2012.
The new image is a single composite view made up of two separate images. The team has also created a virtual fly-around of the crater, which can be seen below. You can vote on what you think is causing the bright spots on Ceres HERE.
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