Bright Spots on Ceres Likely Ice, Not Cryovolcanoes

universetoday.com ^ | Nancy Atkinson

[BenLurkin]

After Dawn enters orbit, it will make its first full characterization of Ceres later in April, at an altitude of about 8,400 miles (13,500 kilometers), and it will then spiral down to an altitude of about 2,750 miles (4,430 kilometers), and obtain more science data in its survey science orbit. This phase will last for 22 days, and is designed to obtain a global view of Ceres with Dawn’s framing camera, and global maps with the visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR).

Dawn will then continue to spiral its way down to an altitude of about 920 miles (1,480 kilometers), and in August 2015 will begin a two-month phase known as the high-altitude mapping orbit. During this phase, the spacecraft will continue to acquire near-global maps with the VIR and framing camera at higher resolution than in the survey phase. The spacecraft will also image in “stereo” to resolve the surface in 3-D.

Then, after spiraling down for two months, Dawn will begin its closest orbit around Ceres in late November, at a distance of about 233 miles (375 kilometers), allowing Dawn’s gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) and gravity investigation to make their observations.

[BenLurkin]

The surface of Ceres is covered with craters of many shapes and sizes, as seen in this new mosaic of the dwarf planet comprised of images taken by NASA’s Dawn mission on Feb. 19, 2015 from a distance of nearly 29,000 miles (46,000 kilometers). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA.

[eldoradude]

Are you Ceres? ;>)

Thanks, I enjoy a lot of your posts.

[Beowulf9]

I actually considered that the first time around but then thought, well, if the scientists don’t think that then it must be something else.