NASA Releases Sharpest Image Yet of Dwarf Planet Ceres

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has returned the sharpest images to date of the dwarf planet Ceres. Taken just 147,000 miles from the tiny planet on Jan. 25, the images represent a new milestone for the spacecraft as it continues its journey toward Ceres.

"We know so little about our vast solar system, but thanks to economical missions like Dawn, those mysteries are being solved," said Jim Green of NASA in a news release.

Ceres is the largest body between Mars and Jupiter in the main asteroid belt. With a diameter of just 590 miles, very little is known about the dwarf planet. Although it was originally described as a planet, Ceres was then later categorized as an asteroid and then reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

"Ceres is a 'planet' that you've probably never heard of," said Robert Mase, Dawn project manager. "We're excited to learn all about it with Dawn and share our discoveries with the world."

The new images are at 43 pixels wide, which are more than 30 percent higher in resolution than those taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in 2003 and 2004 at a distance of over 150 million miles. The Dawn spacecraft is currently traveling toward Ceres, which means that future pictures will be even better as it becomes closer.

Currently, scientists plan for Dawn to enter orbit around Ceres on March 6. That's when the spacecraft will capture detailed images of Ceres in addition to measured variations of light, which should reveal the planet's surface composition.

"We are already seeing areas and details on Ceres popping up that had not been seen before," said Carol Raymond, deputy principal investigator of the Dawn mission. "For instance, there are several dark features in the southern hemisphere that might be craters within a region that is darker overall."

For now, Dawn will continue its journey through space toward Ceres. For more information on the mission, you can visit NASA's website.

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