Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2016

U nnamed crater covered in ridges and steep slo- pes. These features likely resulted when the crater partly collapsed during its formation. This 20-mile-wide (32-kilometer-wide) crater is located just west of the larger, named crater Dantu, at northern mid-latitudes on Ceres. Dawn took this image from its low-altitude mapping orbit (LAMO) at an approxi- mate altitude of 240 miles (385 kilometers) above Ceres. The image resolution, taken on Dec. 23, 2015, is 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. Below, an animated flight over Ceres that emphasizes the most prominent craters, such as Occator, and the tall, conical moun- tain Ahuna Mons. Features on Ceres are named for earthly agricultural spirits, deities and festivals. T wo relatively young, fresh craters on Ceres. The larger of the two is about 10 miles (16 ki- lometers) in diameter, while the smaller one has a width of about 3 miles (5 kilometers). Large blocks of ejected material fell near the rims of the craters and onto the floor of the larger crater. The image is centered at approximately 23 degrees south latitude, 279 degrees east longitude. Dawn captured the scene on Jan. 1, 2016, from its low-alti- tude mapping orbit (LAMO), at an approximate alti- tude of 229 miles (368 kilometers) above Ceres. The image resolution is 112 feet (34 meters) per pixel. ▼ ▼ ▼