NASA has released this new video, showing a 3D maps of Ceres, the smallest dwarf planet and largest asteroid. The spots’ albedo, which measures the amount of light reflected, is not high enough for concentrations of ice. The first spacecraft to orbit two planetary bodies on the same mission, Dawn is expected to reveal the conditions under which these objects formed.
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“The science team is continuing to evaluate the data and discuss theories about these bright spots at Occator”, Chris Russell, Dawn’s principal investigator said in a statement.
The peak’s shape has been likened to a cone or a pyramid. It appears to be about 4 miles (6 kilometres) high, with respect to the surface around it, according to the latest estimates. It is estimated to be four miles high, similar in its stature to Alaska’s Mount McKinley, the main feature of Denali National Park, which is North America’s highest point.
“This mountain is among the many tallest options thus far”, Daybreak science group member Paul Schenk, a geologist on the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston stated in a press release. The Occator crater is perhaps Ceres’ most unusual feature, due to the ethereal glow it gives off. Scientists have largely attributed it to the reflection of ice, but it could potentially be reactive salts, while some people may claim it’s the work of aliens. Why is it sitting in the midst of nowhere? They say that these may be determined after closer observation.
Ceres’ mystery white spots were detected inside the dwarf planet’s Occator, a 6-mile-wide and 2-mile-deep crater.
The video also shows flyover video of Ceres’ tallest feature, a pyramid-shaped mountain with intriguing bright streaks. For instance, in the south are two major impact basins dubbed Yalode and Urvara with outer cracks that extend away from them.
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The new extensive highlights of Ceres have provided images that were both endlessly fascinating and puzzling to NASA scientists, who are trying to uncover the mysteries of the dwarf planet. It was earlier estimated that Ceres’ diameter was 590 miles but data from Dawn revealed it to be 584 miles. It conducted extensive observations of Vesta in 2011-2012.
