NASA Dawn Spacecraft Beams Sharper Images of Ceres to Earth

NASA's Dawn spacecraft is showing sharper scenes than ever before as it continues its exploration of the world. The closest-yet views of Ceres show the small world's features in unprecedented detail, including a tall, conical mountain.

"Dawn is performing flawlessly in this new orbit as it conducts its ambitious exploration," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director, in a news release. "The spacecraft's view is now three times as sharp as in its previous mapping orbit, revealing exciting new details of this intriguing dwarf planet."

Dawn is currently at an altitude of 915 miles above the surface of Ceres. This means it takes the spacecraft 11 days to capture and return images of the world's whole surface. Each 11-day cycle consists of 14 orbits. Over the next two months, the spacecraft will map the entirety of Ceres six times.

The spacecraft is currently using its framing camera to extensively map the surface, enabling 3D modeling. Every image from this orbit has a resolution of 450 feet per pixel, and covers less than 1 percent of the surface of Ceres.

Dawn is also using a visible and infrared mapping spectrometer to collect data that may reveal what minerals are found on Ceres' surface. The scientists also plan to refine their measurements of the world's gravity field, which will help mission planners in designing Dawn's next orbit.

The new findings reveal a bit more about the small world. This, in turn, may tell researchers a bit more about the evolution of Ceres and the geological activity that occurs on its surface.

For more information about the Dawn mission, visit NASA's website.

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