Planets and Moons  ID: 12085

A Tour of Ceres

Story by Bethany Augliere Released on March 1, 2016
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NASA’s Dawn mission begins to unlock mysteries of the asteroid belt’s largest object.
Ceres isn't your average space rock. At 587 miles across, it's the biggest object in the solar system’s main asteroid belt—a swarm of thousands of rocky bodies between Mars and Jupiter—and the only dwarf planet. Before the arrival of NASA’s Dawn spacecraft at Ceres in March 2015, scientists knew little about this rocky and icy world. Surveys using instruments aboard Dawn have helped scientists explore features of its interior and thin, outer crust. Now, new evidence indicates that Ceres' surface is predominantly clays contaminated with ammonium, and that this material may have originated from beyond Jupiter. This discovery is changing how scientists think about the migration and mixing of material early in our solar system’s history. Despite these findings, many mysteries remain, including the makeup of Ceres' striking bright regions. An analysis of measurements made by the spacecraft will reveal their true nature. Watch the video to take a flyover tour of Ceres.
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Explore views of Ceres in this video created from images taken by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft.
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Dawn's survey of Ceres reveals its surface is covered in impact craters of varying age, shape and size.
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Ceres’ Occator crater (above) spans 60 miles across and about two miles deep. Scientists are trying to determine how its bright regions formed.
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A four-mile high mountain, called Ahuna Mons, erupts from the surface in this image. It's one of only three mountains found on Ceres.

Story Credits

Scientist:
Lucy McFadden (UMD)

Lead Writer:
Bethany Augliere (USRA)

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Video courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech
Images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

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https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12085

Keywords:
SVS >> App
NASA Science >> Planets and Moons