Getting closer! Bright Spots Shine in Newest Dawn Ceres Images
June 10, 2015 JPL
New images of dwarf planet Ceres, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, show the cratered surface of this mysterious world in sharper detail than ever before. These are among the first snapshots from Dawn's second mapping orbit, which is 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) above Ceres.
The region with the brightest spots is in a crater about 55 miles (90 kilometers) across. The spots consist of many individual bright points of differing sizes, with a central cluster. So far, scientists have found no obvious explanation for their observed locations or brightness levels.
"The bright spots in this configuration make Ceres unique from anything we've seen before in the solar system. The science team is working to understand their source. Reflection from ice is the leading candidate in my mind, but the team continues to consider alternate possibilities, such as salt. With closer views from the new orbit and multiple view angles, we soon will be better able to determine the nature of this enigmatic phenomenon," said Chris Russell, principal investigator for the Dawn mission based at the University of California, Los Angeles.
More:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4619
Love this stuff!
= new reply since forum marked as read
And why only in one spot on the entire surface?
I don't have a clue what it is, but I secretly hope it's a sentinel of some kind... Or even something left behind.
It is so bright it kind of looks like bird poop. 
...
Is someone trying to scare us off?
Are we being watched?
This mystery is just too cool...
What else could it be? 
2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) until June 28.
900 miles (1,450 kilometers), arriving in early August.
