(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA)
It鈥檚 the sun-lit north pole of a dwarf planet, in more detail than we鈥檝e ever seen before. These images of Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, were snapped by NASA鈥檚 Dawn spacecraft last Friday.
The spacecraft captured the photos from a distance of 33,000 kilometres as it passed over the dwarf planet鈥檚 pole after more than a month on its dark side. It should soon gather views of other features, including a mysterious set of bright spots on the surface that could contain watery volcanoes.
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Meanwhile, NASA鈥檚 New Horizons probe is and has sent back the first blurry colour photos of the dwarf planet and its largest moon, Charon. We鈥檒l get our best-ever view of Pluto when the spacecraft flies past it on 14 July.
