Showing posts with label dwarf planet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dwarf planet. Show all posts

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Bright Spots Observed on Ceres


Ceres is the largest body in the asteroid belt and the only object classed as a dwarf
planet in the asteroid belt.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has been in orbit around Ceres for more than a year mapping its surface in great detail. One of the biggest surprises has been the discovery of very bright spots, which reflect far more light than their much darker surroundings.

The most prominent of these spots lie inside the crater Occator and suggest that Ceres may be a much more active world than most of its asteroid neighbors. 


For more information, click to  Daily Galaxy article

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Dawn Spacecraft of Ceres Shows Towering Mountain



Each orbit of Ceres made by the Dawn spacecraft tells us just a bit more of the dwarf planet. Earlier this week, NASA released a fantastic new image of Ceres’ terrain, with a resolution of 1,400 feet per pixel. The image shows some new features, including a 3 mile tall mountain!



Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA