NASA’s Dawn mission – Astronomy Now

Bright deposits in Ceres’ Occator Crater hint at ongoing cryovolcanism

10 August 2020 Astronomy Now

Detailed analysis indicates the dwarf planet Ceres may be geologically active with ongoing cryovolcanism.

NASA’s Dawn mission comes to an end in orbit around Ceres

1 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Like its cousin the Kepler space telescope, NASA’s Dawn mission to the asteroids Vesta and Ceres has run out of gas, ending a remarkably successful 11-year mission to the two largest members of the asteroid belt.

Dawn spacecraft dropping to record low altitude at Ceres

2 June 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is in the process of dropping into its final, lowest-ever orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres, allowing it to make repeated passes within 50 kilometres (30 miles) of the surface.

Dawn provides a new perspective on Ceres’ Occator Crater

19 December 2017 Astronomy Now

NASA has released simulated perspective views looking into Occator Crater, which contains the brightest area on Ceres. The views were created from images captured by the Dawn spacecraft.

Unexpected discoveries on a metal world

21 October 2016 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have discovered possible evidence for water on the surface of 16 Psyche, the largest metallic asteroid in the solar system. Measuring 186 miles across and consisting of almost pure nickel-iron metal, Psyche is thought to be the remnant core of a planetary embryo that was mostly destroyed by impacts billions of years ago.

Dawn sets course for higher orbit at Ceres

1 September 2016 Graham Carr

After studying Ceres for more than eight months from its low-altitude science orbit, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft will move higher up for different views of the dwarf planet.

A view from Dawn’s low altitude swoop over Ceres

15 July 2016 Astronomy Now

This image from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft records an oblique look across Ceres towards the limb of the dwarf planet. The ion-propelled Dawn probe has been exploring Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt, since March 2015.

Dawn maps Ceres craters where water ice can accumulate

10 July 2016 Astronomy Now

Scientists with NASA’s Dawn mission have identified permanently shadowed regions on the northern hemisphere of dwarf planet Ceres. Most of these areas likely have been cold enough to trap water ice for a billion years, suggesting that ice deposits could exist there now. These permanently shadowed regions could be colder than those on Mercury or the Moon.

Recent hydrothermal activity may explain Ceres’ brightest area

30 June 2016 Astronomy Now

The brightest area on Ceres, located in the mysterious Occator Crater, has the highest concentration of carbonate minerals ever seen outside Earth, according to a new study from scientists on NASA’s Dawn mission. The results suggest that liquid water may have existed beneath the surface of Ceres in recent geological time.

New Ceres images show bright craters

20 April 2016 Astronomy Now

Craters with bright material on dwarf planet Ceres shine in new images from NASA’s Dawn mission taken from its lowest-altitude mapping orbit. Young crater Haulani (diameter 21 miles) and 6-mile-wide Oxo Crater — the second-brightest feature on Ceres — provide scientists with insight into the dwarf planet’s materials and surface morphology.