Photos: Dwarf Planet Ceres, the Solar System's Largest Asteroid

Dwarf Planet Ceres by Dawn Spacecraft Zoom-In 2

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI

A zoomed-in view of the dwarf planet Ceres, seen from a distance of 238,000 miles (383,000 kilometers) by the Dawn spacecraft on Jan. 13, 2015. The image hints at the presence of craters and other features on Ceres' surface. Read the Full Story.

Dawn Image of Ceres, Feb. 4, 2015

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this image of the dwarf planet Ceres on Feb. 4, 2015 at a distance of about 90,000 miles (145,000 kilometers) from the dwarf planet.

Ceres in Visible and Infrared Light

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/ASI/INAF

The dwarf planet Ceres, seen by the Dawn space probe on Jan. 13, 2015, in optical light and infrared (right). In the infrared image, white indicates hotter than red.

Ceres Image Jan. 25, 2015

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

The planet Ceres, seen by the Dawn space probe on Jan. 25, 2015, at a distance of 147,000 miles (237,000 kilometers).

Dwarf Planet Ceres by Dawn Spacecraft Zoom-In 1

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI

A zoomed-in view of the dwarf planet Ceres, seen from a distance of 238,000 miles (383,000 kilometers) by the Dawn spacecraft on Jan. 13, 2015. Read the Full Story.

Dwarf Planet Ceres by Dawn full view Jan 13

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

The dwarf planet Ceres, seen from a distance of 238,000 miles (383,000 kilometers) on Jan. 13, 2015. NASA's Dawn spacecraft captured this view. Read the Full Story.

Zoomed-in View of Dwarf Planet Ceres

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Zoomed-in image of the dwarf planet Ceres captured on Dec. 1, 2014 by NASA's Dawn spacecraft captured this photo of the dwarf planet Ceres, from a distance of about 740,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers).

Dawn's Best-Ever Photo of Ceres

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

NASA's Dawn spacecraft acquired this image of the dwarf planet Ceres on Dec. 1, 2014. A cropped, magnified view of Ceres appears in the inset at lower left.

Artist's Impression of Ceres

IMCCE-Observatoire de Paris/CNRS/Y.Gominet, B. Carry

An artist's impression of water outgassing from two sources on the dwarf planet Ceres, which is also the largest asteroid in the solar system [Read the Full Story Here.]

Dwarf Planet Ceres

ESA/ATG medialab

An artist's depiction of the dwarf planet Ceres. Observations by ESA's Herschel space observatory between 2011 and 2013 find that the dwarf planet has a thin water vapor atmosphere. [Read the Full Story Here.]

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