JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Solar System
.

Dawn Captures Sharper Images of Ceres

Feb 17, 2015
These two views of Ceres were acquired by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Feb. 12, 2015, from a distance of about 52,000 miles (83,000 kilometers) as the dwarf planet rotated. The images have been magnified from their original size.› Full image and caption
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Craters and mysterious bright spots are beginning to pop out in the latest images of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft.

Craters and mysterious bright spots are beginning to pop out in the latest images of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft. These images, taken Feb. 12 at a distance of 52,000 miles (83,000 kilometers) from the dwarf planet, pose intriguing questions for the science team to explore as the spacecraft nears its destination.

The image is available at:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA19056

"As we slowly approach the stage, our eyes transfixed on Ceres and her planetary dance, we find she has beguiled us but left us none the wiser," said Chris Russell, principal investigator of the Dawn mission, based at UCLA. "We expected to be surprised; we did not expect to be this puzzled."

Dawn will be gently captured into orbit around Ceres on March 6. As the spacecraft delivers better images and other data, the science team will be investigating the nature and composition of the dwarf planet, including the nature of the craters and bright spots that are coming into focus. The latest images, which have a resolution of 4.9 miles (7.8 kilometers) per pixel, represent the sharpest views of Ceres to date.

The spacecraft explored the giant asteroid Vesta for 14 months during 2011 and 2012. Scientists gained numerous insights about the geological history of this body and saw its cratered surface in fine detail. By comparing Vesta and Ceres, they will develop a better understanding of the formation of the solar system.

Dawn's mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital ATK, Inc., of Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The framing cameras were provided by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Gottingen, Germany, with significant contributions by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, and in coordination with the Institute of Computer and Communication Network Engineering, Braunschweig. The visible and infrared mapping spectrometer was provided by the Italian Space Agency and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, built by Selex ES, and is managed and operated by the Italian Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology, Rome. The gamma ray and neutron detector was built by Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, and is operated by the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona.

For more information about Dawn, visit:

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov

News Media Contact

Elizabeth Landau

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-0845

elandau@nasa.gov

2015-061

Related News

Mars .

NASA Awards Mars Ascent Propulsion System Contract for Sample Return

Mars .

NASA to Provide Update on Perseverance ‘Firsts’ Since Mars Landing

Mars .

NASA to Reveal New Video, Images From Mars Perseverance Rover

Mars .

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover Provides Front-Row Seat to Landing, First Audio Recording of Red Planet

Mars .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Sends Sneak Peek of Mars Landing

Mars .

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Reports In

Mars .

Touchdown! NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover Safely Lands on Red Planet

Mars .

Searching for Life in NASA’s Perseverance Mars Samples

Mars .

The Mars Relay Network Connects Us to NASA’s Martian Explorers

Mars .

NASA Invites Public to Share Thrill of Mars Perseverance Rover Landing

Explore More

Video .

What's Up - March 2021

Image .

Deep Jet Streams in Jupiter's Atmosphere

Image .

Power On: Psyche Spacecraft

Video .

What's Up - February 2021

Image .

Juno's Mission Goes On

Topic .

Solar System

Image .

Jupiter's Storm Oval BA As Viewed By An Artist

Image .

Jupiter North Pole Detail

Image .

A Hot Spot on Jupiter

Image .

A Jupiter Circumpolar Cyclone

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to Newsletter
Universe Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono