Beautiful new images released by NASA's Dawn spacecraft show a deeply cratered and variable surface on the dwarf planet Ceres. It is the largest dwarf planet in the region, accounting for 25 per cent of the belt's total mass. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA)A true-to-life colour image of Ceres was also released (planetary images are often released in false colour in order to highlight particular regions). It combines images taken in 2015 using the red, green and blue spectral filters on board the Dawn spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA)Since Nov. 4, the spacecraft has embarked on its sixth science mission, which will take it about 7,200 kilometres from the surface of the dwarf planet.

Source: CBC News November 21, 2016 22:11 UTC