NASA Dawn probes the zoom on Craz Crater crater

When the NASA Dawn spacecraft approached the dwarf planet Ceres in 2015, everyone from astronomers to UFO enthusiasts, is excited for some strange bright spots seen in the images of the craft. Dawn is now closer than ever to the Occator Crater, the source of some of these intriguing places, and NASA has released a fresh look at what's in it.

Dawn reached its most recent orbit around Ceres on June 6th. 22 miles (35 kilometers) from the surface and zoom to a large depot near the crater center named Cerealia Facula.

Shiny deposits are made of sodium carbonate and are the largest observed outside the Earth. Scientists are wondering how they got there, suggesting that they come "either from a shallow underground reservoir of mineral water or from a deeper source of brine (enriched liquid water). in salts) percolating upward through fractures. "

The Max Planck Institute for Solar Systems Research also released an image showing landslide activity on the northern edge of the Occator crater. NASA says that Cere's landslides are similar to those seen on Earth.

"There are clear signs that equipment has recently hit the slopes, some of which are stuck halfway," notes the institute. The images collected by Dawn in her new orbit will shed light on the fascinating formations.

Dawn's chief engineer, Marc Rayman of NASA, became a poet about the latest achievements of the spaceship: "Dawn is like a master artist." The beauty of another world in his Intimate Portrait of Ceres. "