Ceres' bright spots seen in striking new detail

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In summary, new views of the dwarf planet Ceres' brightest spots have been delivered by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, with a resolution of 450 feet per pixel. These views show the Occator crater in greater detail and give scientists a deeper understanding of these unusual features. Recent studies have also shown daily variability in the albedo of Ceres, with the spots appearing brightest on the day side of the planet. However, it is unclear how Earth-based telescopes could detect this as we have limited view of non-daylight regions and surface structures on Ceres.
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PF_SpaceNews
Ceres' bright spots seen in striking new detail

The brightest spots on the dwarf planet Ceres gleam with mystery in new views delivered by NASA's Dawn spacecraft . These closest-yet views of Occator crater, with a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel, give scientists a deeper perspective on these very unusual features.

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Here is a photo

4-ceresbrights.jpg
 
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Interestingly, the spots are brightest when they’re on the day side of Ceres, facing the sun.
Wait, what? Even if that is meant relative to the surrounding area (it is trivial in absolute terms...), how would telescopes on Earth see that? We barely see any non-daylight region, and we barely see any surface structures from Earth. Seeing the bright spots when there is no sunlight on them? I don't think that works.
The rest might be true.
 

Related to Ceres' bright spots seen in striking new detail

1. What are the bright spots seen on Ceres?

The bright spots seen on Ceres are highly reflective areas on the surface of the dwarf planet. They were first observed by the Dawn spacecraft in 2015 and have been a topic of scientific interest since then.

2. What causes the bright spots on Ceres?

The exact cause of the bright spots on Ceres is still unknown, but scientists have proposed several theories. These include the presence of highly reflective salts or ice, or the possibility of cryovolcanism - the eruption of icy materials from within the planet's surface.

3. What new details have been revealed about Ceres' bright spots?

The new images taken by the Dawn spacecraft have revealed that the bright spots are actually composed of many smaller spots, rather than one large spot as previously thought. They also show that the spots are concentrated in certain regions, rather than being evenly distributed across the surface.

4. Are the bright spots on Ceres unique?

The bright spots on Ceres are not unique to this dwarf planet. Similar features have been observed on other bodies in our solar system, such as the Moon, Mercury, and some of the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. However, the composition and origin of these bright spots may vary.

5. What further research is being conducted on Ceres' bright spots?

Scientists are continuing to analyze the data and images from the Dawn spacecraft to better understand the nature of the bright spots on Ceres. They are also planning future missions that will provide more detailed observations and potentially help unravel the mystery of these enigmatic features.

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