Bright And Mysterious: NASA Still Unsure About Ceres Spots

The bright spots on Ceres are a large cluster on the dwarf planet's contrasting landscape, new images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft reveal.

The images were taken from an altitude of 915 miles showing the mysterious bright spots on the Occator, a 50-mile wide crater with a vertical rim that rises nearly a mile in some places. The origin of the spots or what is causing them remains a mystery though scientists are optimistic about demystifying the landscape soon.

"Dawn has transformed what was so recently a few bright dots into a complex and beautiful, gleaming landscape. Soon, the scientific analysis will reveal the geological and chemical nature of this mysterious and mesmerizing extraterrestrial scenery," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director at JPL.

The spots were first noticed when Dawn arrived at Ceres earlier this year. Though several bright features were found on other parts of the dwarf planet, the spots on Occator are brightest that have been spotted. Scientists speculate it could be ice and salt reflecting sunlight.

The mystery of the spots is unlikely to be unraveled before December this year when Dawn enters its low-altitude mapping orbit of 233 miles over Ceres.