Pyramid-Shaped Mountain Revealed in Latest Ceres Images

Posted on June 22, 2015

NASA has released more images of the dwarf planet Ceres taken by the Dawn spacecraft. The latest images include a closer look at the mysterious white spots on Ceres as well as a newly revealed pyramid-shaped mountain.

The pyramid-shaped mountain can be seen on the upper right side of the image above. This image was taken on June 6, 2015. NASA scientists estimate the mountain rises 3 miles (5 kilometers) above the surface. The mountain is in an area described as "relatively smooth" by NASA. You can view a hi-res image of the mountain photograph here.

Carol Raymond, deputy principal investigator for the Dawn mission, says in a statement, "The surface of Ceres has revealed many interesting and unique features. For example, icy moons in the outer solar system have craters with central pits, but on Ceres central pits in large craters are much more common. These and other features will allow us to understand the inner structure of Ceres that we cannot sense directly."

NASA scientists are still uncertain as to what exactly the bright spots are on Ceres. They know it is a highly reflective material. The leading possibilities are ice and salt. A larger version of the image below can be found here.

Dawn is currently at an orbit of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) above Ceres. It will remain at this position through June 30. It will move to its next orbit at an altitude of 900 miles (1,450 kilometers) in early August.

SPACE