Dawn Captures Closest Ever Look at Dwarf Planet Ceres

First Posted: Jun 11, 2015 03:47 PM EDT

Scientists have gotten their closest look yet at the dwarf planet Ceres. The spacecraft dawn has captured new images of the dwarf planet, located between Mars and Jupiter.

Currently, Dawn is observing Ceres from just 2,700 miles above its surface. NASA has already created a one-minute video animation that sheds new light on this mysterious world.

"Everything we learn from Ceres will be absolutely new," said Christopher Russell, Dawn mission's principal investigator, in a news release. "We approach it in awe and almost total ignorance."

Dawn's visit to Ceres started on March 6. It's scheduled to stay there for almost a year. However, this isn't the only body that Dawn has witnessed. From July 2011 to September 2012, Dawn watched Vesta, a minor planet that's the second most massive body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The new Ceres mission should provide scientists information about Ceres' shape, size, composition, internal structure and tectonic and thermal evolution. In addition, the new findings may provide new understanding under which conditions Ceres and Vesta were formed. This, in turn, may tell scientists a bit more about the creation of our galaxy.

Dawn Spacecraft Arrives at the Distant Dwarf Planet Ceres This Friday

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TagsCeres, Planet, Dawn, Vesta