NASA's Dawn Reveals Colorful Images of Ceres
The long wait for a closer look at Ceres, the largest asteroid in the solar system, is finally over. Planetary scientists and astronomers now have the first images from Ceres that the NASA's Dawn spacecraft captured through three different color filters (green, blue, and near-infrared) in its camera.
The images reveal useful geological processes, which can be used by scientists to discover more about the "dwarf planet." By using the images, scientists were able to create a color map of Ceres by putting together the captured images.
Ceres orbits the sun between Jupiter and Mars. NASA's Dawn spacecraft was able to slowly orbit around the asteroid last week. Dawn spent one month orbiting the dark sides of the dwarf planet. But, it was able to capture a sunlit image at the north pole of Ceres last April 10.
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It will reach its final orbit distance of 250 kilometers from the surface in the coming weeks. As soon as Dawn reaches the surface, scientists will be able to take a much better look of a lighted Ceres.
According to Dawn mission principal investigator Chris Russell, "This dwarf planet was not just an inert rock throughout its history. It was active, with processes that resulted in different materials in different regions. We are beginning to capture that diversity in our color images."
The color images also show bright spots on the asteroid's surface. No explanations yet on what these spots could be but one explanation points to salt flats, exposed ice or water vapor.
Deputy principal investigator Carol Raymond shares that "The team is really, really excited about this featre because it is unique in the solar system. The mystery will be solved, but it's one that's really got us on the edge of our seats."
Look like scientists are bracing for more "secrets" Ceres may hold.
