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More Features Visible on Ceres From Dawn’s Survey Orbit

By Robert Trembley  |  24 Jun 2015

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This entry is part 15 of 27 in the series The Dawn Misson to the Asteroid Belt

Dawn Survey Orbit Image 12 showing dwarf planet Ceres from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, taken June 7, 2015 from an altitude of 4,400 km (2,700 mi). Image resolution: 410 m (1,400 ft) per pixel. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

The Dawn mission is imaging dwarf planet Ceres from its survey orbit at an altitude of 4,400 km (2,700 mi) – Dawn achieved this orbit on June 3, 2015. More surface features have resolved themselves: a tall mountain, rills, smaller craters, and several light colored areas. The “mysterious white spots” have revealed themselves to be a set of multiple spots, but continue to vex scientists and the public alike.

NASA opened the World Ceres vote to the public, asking what you thought the spots were; I think they are ices revealed by recent impacts. We’ll have to wait until Dawn gets even closer to Ceres in its high altitude mapping orbit (HAMO) at a distance of 900 km (1,450 mi). Dawn will start to spiral down to this orbit in early August, and should reach it by mid-October.

PIA19574 Ceres Mountain Crop Dawn Survey Orbit Image 6 showing a 5 km (3 mi) tall pyramid-shaped mountain. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Dawn Survey Orbit Image 10 showing a side view of the mountain, and a light area. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA Dawn Survey Orbit Image 10 showing a side view of the mountain, and a light area. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
PIA19579 Ceres White Spots crop Dawn Survey Orbit Image 11 showing the “mysterious white spots.” Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
World Ceres vote results. Image credit: NASA World Ceres vote results. Image credit: NASA
Another white area on Ceres. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA Dawn Survey Orbit Image 5 showing an interesting white area on Ceres. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Dawn’s survey orbit and dwarf planet Ceres at the correct scale – altitude of 4,400 km (2,730 mi). Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
Simulation of the Dawn spacecraft orbiting Ceres on June 24, 2015. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System App. Simulation of Dawn orbiting dwarf planet Ceres on June 24, 2015. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System visualization tool.

Read more on Dawn at http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/
and the Dawn Blog: http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/journal.asp

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