Bright Spots Resolved in Occator Crater on Ceres
Explanation:
What created these bright spots on Ceres?
The spots were
first noted as the
robotic Dawn spacecraft approached
Ceres,
the largest object in the
asteroid belt, in February, with the expectation that
the mystery would soon be solved in higher resolution
images.
However, even after Dawn arrived at Ceres in March, the
riddle remained.
Surprisingly, although images including the
featured
composite
taken in the last month do resolve many details inside
Occator crater, they
do not resolve
the mystery.
Another recent clue is that a
faint haze develops over the crater's bright spots.
Dawn
is scheduled to continue to spiral down toward
Ceres and scan the dwarf planet in
several
new ways that, it is hoped,
will determine the chemical composition of the region and finally reveal the nature
and history of the spots.
In several years, after running out of power,
Dawn
will continue
to orbit Ceres indefinitely, becoming an artificial satellite and an
enduring
monument to
human exploration.
Yearly Astronomy Review:
APOD editor to speak in January in
Philadelphia
and
New York City
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
