Today's Image

New view of Ceres, as Dawn moves higher

Posted by
Deborah Byrd
and
November 21, 2016
Occator Crater, some 57 miles across and home of Ceres’ intriguing brightest areas, is prominently featured in this image from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft. Click the picture for a full-size version. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA.
It looks like the moon, but it’s Ceres, largest body in the asteroid belt, now classified as a dwarf planet. This image shows Occator Crater, some 57 miles across and home of Ceres’ famous bright spots. Image via Dawn spacecraft/ NASA JPL/ Caltech/ UCLA/ MPS/ DLR/ IDA.

This dramatic new view from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft was taken October 16, 2016 from Dawn’s fifth science orbit, about 920 miles (1,480 km) above Ceres. Since arriving at Ceres in March 2015, Dawn has shifted between various orbits to give us amazing views of this little world. It reached this new orbit in early October. In this image, the angle of the sun was different from that in previous orbits.

This image shows the famous bright spots in Occator Crater on Ceres. There’s a central bright region and secondary, less-reflective areas, prominent near the limb, or edge, of Ceres in this image. NASA said:

At 57 miles (92 km) wide and 2.5 miles (4 km) deep, Occator displays evidence of recent geologic activity. The latest research suggests that the bright material in this crater is comprised of salts left behind after a briny liquid emerged from below, froze and then sublimated, meaning it turned from ice into vapor.

The impact that formed the crater millions of years ago unearthed material that blanketed the area outside the crater, and may have triggered the upwelling of salty liquid.

Read more: Bright spots began to be confirmed as salt deposits in late 2015

Read more about the Dawn mission to Vesta and Ceres

See more images of Ceres from Dawn

This image was taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft of dwarf planet Ceres on Feb. 19 from a distance of nearly 29,000 miles (46,000 kilometers). It shows that the brightest spot on Ceres has a dimmer companion, which apparently lies in the same basin. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
February 2015 image of Ceres by Dawn, as the craft approached the dwarf planet. At first, many thought these 2 famous bright spots on Ceres looked like alien lights, but now – thanks to Dawn – we know there are many bright spots on Ceres and that they are likely salt deposits. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Bottom line: New image of dwarf planet Ceres, taken by Dawn spacecraft on October 16, 2016, shows a different angle on the famous Ceres bright spots.

Posted 
November 21, 2016
 in 
Today's Image

Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.

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