Dawn Enters Orbit Around Ceres

Launched in 2007, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft undertook a four-year journey to reach the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. Its targets, Vesta and Ceres, are the two largest bodies in the belt. In 2011 and 2012, it spent nearly 14 months studying Vesta, an asteroid as wide as the state of Arizona.

Dawn arrived at Ceres, a dwarf planet, on March 6, 2015. About 590 miles (950 kilometers) wide, it has a rounded shape that suggests a layered interior similar to Mercury and Earth. Scientists believe it has a rocky core, a thick icy mantle, and maybe an ocean hidden beneath an icy crust.

Dawn captured this image of Ceres on March 1, 2015. It was taken from about 48,000 kilometers (30,000 miles) away.