NASA Probe Gets Up-Close and Personal with Dwarf Planet Ceres
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IDA/DLR/MPS/UCLA/JPL-Caltech/NASA(NEW YORK) — NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is closing in on the dwarf planet Ceres, and the space agency Monday released new photos showing what the gigantic cosmic mass looks like up close.
Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, has an average diameter of 590 miles. The images are relatively grainy compared to the power of the Hubble Telescope, but even so, they’ll be used to help guide Dawn closer to the dwarf planet.
The photos, which were taken Jan. 13 but released Monday, show Dawn’s view of Ceres from a distance of 238,000 miles, according to NASA.
The space agency said the images will continue to improve as Dawn draws closer to Ceres, with the eventual goal of placing the satellite in orbit on March 6. It will be the first time the spacecraft has visited a dwarf planet.
The mission is expected to continue for 16 months as researchers analyze data about Ceres, which is thought to be icy and possibly feature an ocean. Researchers said the current images already show what appear to be craters — something they’re eager to get a closer look at as Dawn edges toward its destination.
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