Will Dawn successfully enter orbit around Ceres?

  • Thread starter marcus
  • Start date
In summary, Dawn captured more shots of Ceres on January 26th and posted a brief animation showing its rotation over the course of an hour. The images are higher resolution and show Ceres as roughly half the size of a full moon. The probe and Ceres are orbiting at a speed of 17 km/second and Dawn is slowly moving closer to the planet. On February 10th, it is expected to be within 100 thousand km. There is also concern about the probe's deceleration and whether it will be able to enter a circular orbit around Ceres for further study.
  • #1
marcus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Dearly Missed
24,775
792
Dawn took more shots of Ceres yesterday, the 26 Jan, and a brief animation has been posted showing rotation over the course of about one hour.
https://twitter.com/NASA_Dawn/status/560077265334071297

Here is a sample frame. It's just a still--more interesting to go see the animation. It is higher resolution than what we saw earlier.
newC.png
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
  • #2
As of now, and as of 26 Jan when the sequence of shots was taken, Ceres seen from the spacecraft is roughly half the size of a full moon.

Ceres and the probe are orbiting "neck and neck" at somewhat over 17 km/second. Roughly parallel with Dawn on the inside track, nearer the sun. In addition to its orbital motion, Dawn is slowly moving out towards Ceres. It is currently about 200 thousand km from the planet and by 10 February should be within 100 thousand km.

It turns out that OmCheeto posted the same image of Ceres in another thread, about the same time. He also did some analysis of the rate the probe is slowing down as it approaches Ceres, to see if the deceleration is sufficient for it to be captured in orbit. Just barely, in fact. The approach and entry into circular orbit preparatory to survey will be tricky.
 
Last edited:

1. What are the new closer shots of Ceres?

The new closer shots of Ceres are images captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft during its second extended mission. These images provide a closer and more detailed view of the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres.

2. How were these images captured?

The images were captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft using its framing camera, which has a resolution of 35 meters per pixel. The spacecraft orbits Ceres at an altitude of 35 kilometers, allowing for these close-up shots.

3. What do these new images reveal about Ceres?

These new images reveal a variety of geological features on Ceres, including craters, mountains, and fractures. They also show evidence of water ice and organic compounds on the surface, providing insights into the history and composition of this dwarf planet.

4. How do these new images contribute to our understanding of the solar system?

By providing a closer look at Ceres, these images contribute to our understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system. They also provide valuable information about the composition and processes at work on Ceres, which can help us better understand other planetary bodies.

5. Can we expect more images of Ceres in the future?

Yes, NASA's Dawn spacecraft is currently in its second extended mission and will continue to capture images and data of Ceres until the end of its mission in 2018. These new images will provide even more insights into the mysterious world of Ceres.

Similar threads

I Dawn dead in Ceres orbit, ran out of fuel Oct 2018
    • Astronomy and Astrophysics
31
Replies
1K
Views
174K
Commercial crew parachute tests
    • Aerospace Engineering
Replies
2
Views
2K
SpaceX SpaceX makes third Starship flight
    • Aerospace Engineering
7
Replies
238
Views
13K
Requesting suggestions for languages, libraries, and architectures for parallel (and sometimes non parallel) numerical and scientific computations
    • Programming and Computer Science
Replies
8
Views
2K
News Some humiliating stats on the USA
    • General Discussion
2
Replies
46
Views
5K
Solaculture: A novel biological approach for low cost energy?
    • Biology and Medical
Replies
4
Views
3K
Sifting the 3rd qtr QG papers
    • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
24
Views
7K
Which Chooses Fate: The Lady or the Tiger?
    • General Discussion
Replies
8
Views
5K
Why is the U-2 nicknamed the Dragon Lady?
    • General Discussion
Replies
4
Views
7K
Mathematica This Week's Finds in Mathematical Physics (Week 264)
    • MATLAB, Maple, Mathematica, LaTeX
Replies
6
Views
3K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top