The NASA Dawn mission obtained its first image of Ceres on Dec. 1 as it began its approach to orbiting the dwarf planet in March 2015. While only nine pixels in longest dimension in the image above, Ceres is seen to be elongated because of the phase at which it is observed – like a gibbous Moon.
PSI manages the Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector instrument for Dawn, which will provide information about the detailed elemental composition of its surface. In January, Dawn will image Ceres at higher resolution than Hubble, and the numerous PSI scientists involved with the mission as Co-Investigators and Associates are looking forward to a world unlike anything previously seen in the Solar System.
