Beautiful New Topographical Map Of Ceres Shows a Complex, Icy World

NASA has just released a stunning new topographic single-valued function of Ceres , the other dwarf planet astronomer are getting to study up close and personal this summer . Unlike Pluto’sfreakishly smooth and young open , Ceres ’s exterior is riddled with volcanic crater , create a battered older landscape painting of top and valley .

The topo map indicate here , with low rest regions indicated in indigotin and peaks in red , were constructed by analyzing images train with the Dawn ballistic capsule ’s framing camera from a series of different sunlight and viewing angle . The map at the upper left is centered on terrain at 60 degrees east longitude , while the correct view is centered around 240 degrees east . The cartesian map below is a simple cylindrical projection of the entire surface .

Included on the mathematical function are brand Modern , International Astronomical Union - okay name for some of the Crater and other surface features . ( Here ’s thefull list . ) As per scientific custom , Ceres is now speckled with references to mythologic spirits and immortal . Occator , the 60 mile across , 2 mile deep volcanic crater hold those ceaselessly puzzling bright spot , is named for the papistical agricultural god of harrowing . A small bright crater , formerly the unassuming “ Spot 1 , ” now conk out by the appellative “ Haulani , ” referencing a Hawaiian plant goddess . Then we ’ve got Dantu , after the Ghanaian god of planting corn , and Ezinu , the Sumerian goddess of grain . I ’m starting to wonder if NASA has some hidden space land aspirations .

Ceres , with a diameter of only 548 miles , is about 40 % the sizing of Pluto and the largest object in the principal asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter . NASA ’s Dawn space vehicle has already discern many entrancing features on the icy short fauna ’s aerofoil , include landslides and canyon that suggest at a geologically alive past . Indeed , it ’s believe that Ceres may once have harbored amassive , geothermally - stir up subsurface sea . Today , most of Ceres ’ remain water is locked up in an icy outer shell :

“ The craters we incur on Ceres , in terms of their astuteness and diameter , are very similar to what we see on Dione and Tethys , two frosty planet of Saturn that are about the same size and denseness as Ceres . The features are pretty reproducible with an ice - rich cheekiness , ” said Dawn science squad fellow member Paul Schenk , a geologist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute , Houston .

Dawn is presently spiraling toward Ceres , and will be entering its third orbit , three times closer than its previous one , in mid - August . Positioned a mere 900 statute mile over the dwarf major planet ’s surface , Dawn will continue to take figure of speech and accumulate apparitional data point , hopefully unraveling the origin of those winking bright spot , and teaching us more about this strange small world ’s past tense . Stay tune !

Lilo And Stitch 2025