CERES IN STRIKING CLOSE-UPS

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by paddoboy, Jan 14, 2016.

  1. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    http://www.universetoday.com/123942/dawn-unveils-new-bright-features-ceres-striking-close-ups/

    DAWN UNVEILS NEW BRIGHT FEATURES ON CERES IN STRIKING CLOSE-UPS
    13 Jan , 2016 by Ken Kremer

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    This image from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft shows Kupalo Crater, one of the youngest craters on Ceres. The crater has bright material exposed on its rim and walls, which could be salts. Its flat floor likely formed from impact melt and debris. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

    NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has unveiled a new patch of intriguing bright features in the most recent series of striking close-up images taken just after the probe reached the lowest altitude it will ever reach during the mission.

    From Dawn’s current altitude of 240 miles (385 kilometers) above Ceres, every image taken from now on of the “unique landforms” will be of the highest resolution attainable since the ship will never swoop down closer to the pockmarked surface for science.

    Dawn arrived at this final orbit known as the Low Altitude Mapping Orbit (LAMO) in mid-December.

    And the scientists are absolutely gushing over the data as the much sharper new images stream back to Earth.
     

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