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NASA spacecraft nears encounter with dwarf planet Ceres
NASA spacecraft nears encounter with dwarf planet Ceres
NASA spacecraft nears encounter with dwarf planet Ceres. A NASA spacecraft called Dawn is about to become the first mission to orbit a dwarf planet when it slips into orbit Friday around Ceres, the most massive body in the asteroid belt. Already scientists are intrigued by the appearance of two bright spots on Ceres. “What are they? At this point, the clearest answer is that the answer is unknown,” Rayman wrote on his blog. The dwarf planet, which has an average diameter of 590 miles (950 kilometers), makes a full rotation every nine hours, and NASA is hoping for a wealth of data once the spacecraft’s orbit begins. “Dawn is about to make history,” said Robert Mase, project manager for the Dawn mission at NASA JPL in Pasadena, California. “Our team is ready and eager to find out what Ceres has in store for us.” Experts will be looking for signs of geologic activity, via changes in these bright spots, or other features on Ceres’ surface over time. The latest images came from Dawn when it was 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) away on February 25. The celestial body was first spotted by Sicilian astronomer Father Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. “Ceres was initially classified as a planet and later called an asteroid. In recognition of its planet-like qualities, Ceres was designated a dwarf planet in 2006, along with Pluto and Eris,” NASA said. Ceres is named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and harvests.
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