Dawn XMO2 Image 7

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows Occator Crater on Ceres, with its signature bright areas. Dawn scientists have found that the central bright spot, which harbors the brightest material on Ceres, contains a variety of salts. The brightest parts of these features are overexposed in this image, which had an exposure time intended to capture details in the surrounding terrain. Shorter exposures allow details within the brightest areas to be seen, as in PIA20653.

Dawn took this image on Oct. 18, 2016, from its second extended-mission science orbit (XMO2), at a distance of about 920 miles (1,480 kilometers) above the surface. The image resolution is about 460 feet (140 meters) per pixel.

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21227