Ceres' bright spots return to view in new Dawn spacecraft images from NASA

[n2doc]

The two brightest spots on the dwarf planet Ceres, which have fascinated scientists for months, are back in view in the newest images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft. Dawn took these images on April 14 and 15 from a vantage point 14,000 miles (22,000 kilometers) above Ceres’ north pole.

From NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory:

The images show the brightest spot and its companion clearly standing out against their darker surroundings, but their composition and sources are still unknown. Scientists also see other interesting features, including heavy cratering. As Dawn gets closer to Ceres, surface features will continue to emerge at increasingly better resolution.

Dawn has now finished delivering the images that have helped mission planners maneuver the spacecraft to its first science orbit and prepare for subsequent observations. All of the approach operations have executed flawlessly and kept Dawn on course and on schedule. Beginning April 23, Dawn will spend about three weeks in a near-circular orbit around Ceres, taking observations from 8,400 miles (13,500 kilometers) above the surface. On May 9, Dawn will begin to make its way to lower orbits to improve the view and provide higher-resolution observations.

"The approach imaging campaign has completed successfully by giving us a preliminary, tantalizing view of the world Dawn is about to start exploring in detail. It has allowed us to start asking some new and intriguing questions," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's mission director and chief engineer, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

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http://boingboing.net/2015/04/20/ceres-bright-spots-return-to.html

[Fred Sanders]

1. If only such jaw-dropping, fascinating, important stories were carried in the news a fraction of fake political scandals and dog stories.

What if more folks knew the story behind this:

[tridim]

2. The wait is so exiting!

In the meantime, Ceres should be nicknamed "Titleist".

[mindwalker_i]

3. Those are just reflections

from some old soda cans that weren't recycled.

Actually, if it turns out to be that, it would be a really amazing discovery! I would be seriously pumped over it.

[n2doc]

4. They are from the force fields in front of the TIE fighter base…..n/t

[longship]

5. Nope! It's the vent through which one must exactly shoot the torpedo.

Use the farce, Luke.

[tridim]

6. I hope they're sentinels, like Arthur C. Clarke wrote about.

The largest dwarf planet in our Solar system would be a great place to leave them for us to find.

[AuntPatsy]

7. Fascinating!

[Warren DeMontague]

8. Indeed

[PeoViejo]

9. One says (translated) Tritium 3.89 credits per liter

the other Deuterium 2.79 Credits per liter.

[tazkcmo]

10. 3.89?!

robbery!