Nasa's Dawn spacecraft has captured the closest-yet views of Ceres' strangely luminous bright spots.
The dwarf planet's Occator crater, which rises to a near-vertical point of almost 2 km at its steepest, was photographed from the Dawn's current 915-mile orbit -- and the shots have around three times better resolution than the spacecraft's previous closest flyby in June.
Dawn, which is the first ever mission to visit a dwarf planet, has already mapped the surface of Ceres in two 11-day cycles, and began its third on 9 September. The aim of the project is to image the world from various angles, allowing Nasa scientists to create 3D maps and stereo views, for a more detailed and probing picture of the mysterious object.
As well as the composite image -- made by stitching together two views of the crater and its surrounding surface -- Dawn researchers have also created animations that provide a virtual journey around Occator, along with a map detailing its topography.
Dawn's chief engineer and mission director, Marc Rayman, commented: "Dawn has transformed what was so recently a few bright dots into a complex and beautiful, gleaming landscape. Soon, the scientific analysis will reveal the geological and chemical nature of this mysterious and mesmerising extraterrestrial scenery."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
