NASA Shows Ceres' 'Mystery' Bright Spots In Stunning Detail

NASA Just Took A Stunningly Detailed Look At The Strange Shining Spots On Ceres

NASA has released stunning images captured by the Dawn spacecraft, showing off Ceres' 'mystery' spots in sharp detail.

With a resolution of 450 feet (140 metres) per pixel, this is the most detailed view scientists have had of the spots that sit on a crater called Occator.

NASA discovered these strange spots in February but remain in the dark about whether it represent rocks, volcanoes, ice or salt deposits.

The Dawn team were able to achieve such sharp detail by combining two different types of images -- "one properly exposed for the bright spots, and one for the surrounding surface," NASA stated.

Dawn's current view is taken at an altitude of 915 miles and has about three times better resolution than the images the spacecraft delivered from its previous orbit in June.

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"Dawn has transformed what was so recently a few bright dots into a complex and beautiful, gleaming landscape," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's mission director based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

"Soon, the scientific analysis will reveal the geological and chemical nature of this mysterious and mesmerising extraterrestrial scenery."

NASA's attempt to get know Ceres better includes mapping out the dwarf planet with a 3D model.

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