On Monday, NASA gave us our first close look at the dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the Asteroid Belt between Jupiter and Mars. The detailed animated flyover was compiled from 80 images taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft; some of the photos were snapped 8,400 miles above Ceres' surface and the rest from 3,200 feet. Dawn began its second mapping orbit around Ceres on June 3.
"The Dawn team is investigating what the landforms imply about the presence and nature of any water reservoirs in Ceres," UCLA's Christopher Russell, chief investigator for the Dawn mission, tells National Geographic. "I can't take my eyes off those bright spots. They really make Ceres special and add to the mystery at this point rather than settle any debate." The leading theory about the twin bright spots is that they are reflective ice pools mirroring the sun. You can watch the 3-D animated journey over Ceres below, narrated by Reuters. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
August 24 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Putin at Donald Trump's circus, gallons of whitewash, and a foldable cartoon
-
5 Post Office-approved cartoons about mail-in votingCartoons Artists take on reverse logic, Putin's election advice, and more
-
The battle of the weight-loss drugsTalking Point Can Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly regain their former stock market glory? A lot is riding on next year's pills
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Coloradospeed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's studySpeed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-offSpeed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet underseaSpeed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
-
New York plans first nuclear plant in 36 yearsSpeed Read The plant, to be constructed somewhere in upstate New York, will produce enough energy to power a million homes
-
Dehorning rhinos sharply cuts poaching, study findsSpeed Read The painless procedure may be an effective way to reduce the widespread poaching of rhinoceroses
-
Breakthrough gene-editing treatment saves babyspeed read KJ Muldoon was healed from a rare genetic condition
-
Sea lion proves animals can keep a beatspeed read A sea lion named Ronan beat a group of college students in a rhythmic dance-off, says new study
