NASA's Dawn spacecraft's new photos of planet Ceres reveals new bright spots

(NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA)This image was taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft of dwarf planet Ceres on Feb. 19 from a distance of nearly 29,000 miles (46,000 kilometers). It shows that the brightest spot on Ceres has a dimmer companion, which apparently lies in the same basin

NASA's Dawn spacecraft's new photographs of Ceres have revealed two bright spots on the 590-mile-wide dwarf planet, out of which the brightest one is reflecting about 40% of the sunlight falling on it.

Ceres, which lies between Mars and Jupiter, was formed 4.6 billion years ago, which makes it one of the oldest objects in the solar system. It is also the largest body in the main asteroid belt and holds enough frozen water to fill all the lakes on Earth.

Scientists still remain unsure about the exact nature of the bright patches spotted on Ceres. The spots clearly appear brighter in comparison to other parts of the planet's surface, which seems rocky and pockmarked. However, scientists suspect the patches to be made of primordial ice, as frozen water comprises about a quarter of the planet's bulk.

The ice contained on Ceres is hidden beneath the surface, though collisions with other objects in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter could have exposed the patches and created the shiny spots spotted on the planet.

According to NASA, the latest image of Ceres was taken by Dawn on Feb. 19 from a distance of close to 29,000 miles. The spacecraft is set to enter the planet's orbit in March and scientists are hopeful of getting a better view next week.

"When we get better resolution, the reflectivity may get to 100%. Then there's a mirror down there, and it could be made from ice," said Chris Russell, lead scientist on the Dawn mission at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Presently, the patches appear dimmer as the spacecraft's camera is averaging the light reflected from the spots and the darker rocky surface close by. As Dawn closes in on Ceres in the next few days, the patches are likely to appear smaller and brighter.

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