Dawn probe sent new pictures of Ceres


    This was one of the first images of Ceres received by the probe.

    As we approach the dwarf planet Ceres, the Dawn probe sends more and more clear and detailed images of this space object. New photographs that were available to NASA now are obtained when the probe was only 83 thousand kilometers from Ceres. Craters and those same mysterious light spots that were visible even at a considerable distance are already clearly visible in the pictures.

    According to experts, the higher quality images the probe will send, the more information scientists will be able to get about Ceres. The team of specialists studying this celestial body is looking forward to March 6 when the probe enters the planetoid’s orbit. Nevertheless, scientists expect before this time to receive a part of the answers to questions arising in the course of rapprochement with Ceres.

    Currently, the resolution of photographs is 7.8 kilometers per 1 pixel.


    This is how the animation from the previous photos looked.

    Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt. The diameter of the planet is 950 kilometers. Perhaps Ceres has huge deposits of water ice. Some scientists believe that under the thick ice crust there may also be a liquid ocean of water.


    And these are new photos. The difference, as they say, is obvious.

    If the Dawn probe can successfully take a position in the orbit of Ceres, this will be the first time that the earth device has visited a dwarf planet, entering orbit. Now the team of specialists is looking forward to receiving the highest quality photographs of this space object. According to scientists, there can be many surprises.

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