Skip Navigation

Resources

Closing in on the Wrinkles and Grooves at Vesta's South Pole

Closing in on the Wrinkles and Grooves at Vesta's South Pole
Photojournal: PIA14789
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Published: September 26, 2011

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained these images of asteroid Vesta on Aug. 28 (left) and Sept. 9, 2011. These images of the south polar region were taken at a distance of 1,700 miles (2,740 kilometers) with a resolution of about 260 and 130 meters per pixel.

Related

These six infrared images of Saturn's moon Titan were created using 13 years of data acquired by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer instrument on board NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
More
Six infrared images of Saturn's moon Titan
Seeing Titan with Infrared Eyes
This is the first raw image returned from the Cassini spacecraft after its closest flyby yet. Here the surface of Enceladus is about 320 kilometers (199 miles) away. The spacecraft completed its f...
More
Enceladus July 14, 2005 Flyby First Raw Image
Saturn's Moon Enceladus Poses for a Close-Up
Looking down toward the north pole of the moon Dione, the Cassini spacecraft sights wispy features. These linea cover the trailing hemisphere of the moon. Cassini high resolution images revealed t...
More
Looking down toward the north pole of the moon Dione, the Cassini spacecraft sights wispy features.
Down Dione Way
See Dione Global Maps Presented here is a complete set of cartographic map sheets from a high-resolution Dione atlas, a project of the Cassini Imaging Team. The map sheets form a 15-quadrangle ser...
More
Presented here is a complete set of cartographic map sheets from a high-resolution Dione atlas
The Dione Atlas
This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows the surface of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers) around mid-latitudes. The unusual mountain Ahuna Mons is featur...
More
Dawn HAMO Image 53
Dawn HAMO Image 53
These images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft show part of asteroid Vesta's equatorial region, which contains impact craters and troughs (linear depressions).
More
Topography of Vesta's Equatorial Region III
Topography of Vesta's Equatorial Region III
Dione's lit hemisphere faces away from Cassini's camera, yet the moon's darkened surface features are dimly illuminated in this image, due to Saturnshine.
More
Dione
Coy Dione
The objectives of the Cassini mission can be divided into five scientific categories. Titan, at the upper right, is the target for the Huygens probe, which will descend to the surface of Saturn's...
More
Science Targets
Science Targets
This mosaic of Saturn's rings was acquired by Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer instrument on Sept. 15, 2006, while the spacecraft was in the shadow of the planet looking back towa...
More
A mosaic of Saturn's rings acquired by Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer instrument
Saturn's Rings in Infrared
The Cassini spacecraft takes one of its last good looks at Iapetus, a Saturnian moon known for its yin-yang-like, bright-and-dark color pattern. This view looks toward the south pole of Iapetus (1...
More
Iapetus
Southern Iapetus
An update on findings from Cassini's latest flyby of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Candice Hansen, Titan discipline scientist.
More
Candice Hansen
Cassini Update
Raina takes the telescope control and drives to Saturn at a Saturn Observation Campaign event in Altadena, CA.
More
People taking turns looking through a telescope
Seeing Saturn for the First Time
Saturn's brightly lit rings slice across this Cassini spacecraft picture taken before a backdrop of the planet's clouds. The shadow of the rings can be seen cast upon the planet in the lower right...
More
Saturn's brightly lit rings and the planet's clouds
Bright Slice
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has had a busy week, snapping stunning new images of two of Saturn's moons -- smoggy Titan on Feb. 15 and wrinkled Enceladus on Feb. 16.
More
Three images of Saturn's moons Titan and Enceledas
Saturn's Moons Titan and Enceladus
The dim, unlit side of Saturn's rings hides a secret in this view. Shy Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across) can be seen peeking out from behind the rings below center. The bright features i...
More
The dim, unlit side of Saturn's rings and Mimas
Hiding a Moon
These images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft show part of the ejecta blanket from Vesta's 'Snowman' craters in the northern hemisphere. The ejecta blanket fills the whole image and is identified by its...
More
Topography and Albedo Image of Hummocky-mantled Terrain on Vesta
Topography and Albedo Image of Hummocky-mantled Terrain on Vesta
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured a propeller-shaped disturbance in one of Saturn's rings created by a moon that is too small to be seen here. The moon, likely about a kilometer (half a mile) acr...
More
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured a propeller-shaped disturbance in one of Saturn's rings created by a moon that is too small to be seen here.
Tracking a Propeller
NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this image that shows a mountain ridge, near lower left, that lies in the center of Urvara crater on Ceres. Urvara is an Indian and Iranian deity of plants and fields. T...
More
Urvara Peaks
Urvara Peaks
Nitrogen dioxide pollution, averaged yearly from 2005-2011, has decreased across the United States.
More
Animation showing decrease in nitrogen dioxide concentration from 2005 to 2011
Breathing Cleaner in the U.S.
False color images of Saturn's moon, Mimas, reveal variation in either the composition or texture across its surface. During its approach to Mimas on Aug. 2, 2005, the Cassini spacecraft narrow-an...
More
Mimas
Mimas Showing False Colors #1
As part of an engineering test, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft captured this image of the Earth and Moon using its NavCam1 imager on January 17 from a distance of 39.5 million miles (63.6 million km)
More
Earth and Moon, captured by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Captures New Earth-Moon Image
Saturn's moon Epimetheus passes in front of Janus in this "mutual event" chronicled by the Cassini spacecraft.
More
Saturn's moon Epimetheus passes in front of Janus in this "mutual event" chronicled by the Cassini spacecraft.
Cruising Past Janus
A flat, calm, liquid methane-ethane lake on Titan is depicted in this artist's concept. For a high resolution image, click here. Credit: Copyright 2008 Karl Kofoed
More
Artist's rendition of lakes on Titan
Methane-Ethane Lakes of Titan
This image from NASA's Dawn mission reveals the creeping dawn over the north pole of the giant asteroid Vesta now that sunlight is shining over that area. The mosaic shows two large impact craters.
More
Dawn over the North
Dawn over the North
In Saturn's shadow, the southern hemisphere of Enceladus is lit by sunlight reflected first off of the rings and then onto the nightside of the planet.
More
In Saturn's shadow, the southern hemisphere of Enceladus is lit by sunlight reflected first off of the rings and then onto the nightside of the planet.
Enceladus in Eclipse

You Might Also Like