New images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft revealed features of the dwarf planet Ceres in stunning detail. Scientists have been fascinated by Ceres' unique features since its discovery, and the current photographs get up close and personal, with the spacecraft reaching its lowest altitude yet on Ceres. The pictures were taken between Dec. 19 and Dec. 23 at an altitude of 240 miles (385 kilometers), which is almost the same altitude that it is currently flying at.
The pictures revealed the Kupalo Crater, one of the youngest on the planet, in great detail, showing off its unique attributes in high-resolution. One of these attributes is its bright rim - although its brightness likely stems from salts, scientists will continue to examine it and determine if the material is related to similar looking bright spots on the Occator Crater.
