Nasa has released the first close-up views of the north pole of dwarf planet Ceres from the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn arrived on 6 March, the first time a spacecraft has orbited a dwarf planet, and is now preparing for the key science phase of the mission. However, the images have not yet revealed what the mystery ‘bright spots’ on the surface of the world are, which have gripped the attention of scientists and the public alike. Nasa scientists in California have released new images of Ceres (shown). They were taken by the Dawn spacecraft from a distance of 21,000 miles (33,000km). The spacecraft is beginning to move closer and closer to Ceres. And it will soon study the whole planet - including its mystery bright spots . The latest images were taken on 10 April from a distance of 21,000 miles (33,000km), and are the highest-resolution views of Ceres so far. The spacecraft is currently on the side of the planet that is mostly shrouded in darkness, but over the coming months it will see more of the world in light. And it will also see Ceres in better and a higher resolution. Ceres is 590 miles (950 km) across and was discovered in 1801. It is the closest dwarf planet to the sun and is located in the asteroid belt, making it the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system. Ceres is the smallest of the bodies currently classified as a 'dwarf planet'. It lies less than three times as far as Earth from the sun - close enough to feel the warmth of the star, allowing ice to melt and reform. Nasa's Dawn spacecraft has been making its way to Ceres from the asteroid Vesta since September 2012. There is high interest in the mission because Ceres because it is seen as being a record of the early solar system, and may also have shifting ice on its surface. Ceres is the largest body in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, with an average diameter of 590 miles (950km). Dawn has been using its ion propulsion system to rendezvous with the dwarf planet since leaving the giant asteroid Vesta in 2012. Its first ‘science orbit’ will begin on 23 April, with the spacecraft remaining a distance of 8,400 miles (13,500km) away until 9 May. After this, it will begin making lower and lower orbits to get better views of the surface. The mission will allow scientists to study the last major body between Earth and Jupiter that has yet to be explored. 'The mission is so exciting, because we're exploring the last uncharted world of the solar system,' Dr Marc Rayman, Dawn chief engineer and mission director at JPL told MailOnline. 'For me the opportunity to travel to this distant alien world that has been known of for two centuries, a mysterious world of rock and ice, perhaps with subsurface liquid water maybe stored as ponds, lakes or oceans, is very exciting.' Shown above is an animation of Ceres rotating as Dawn observed its north pole. Ceres is about 2.8 times further from the sun than Earth, and a day on the dwarf planet lasts nine Earth hours. Credit: Nasa . Dawn (artist's illustration shown) has been using its ion propulsion system to rendezvous with the dwarf planet since leaving the giant asteroid Vesta in 2012. Its first ‘science orbit’ will begin on 23 April, with the spacecraft remaining a distance of 8,400 miles (13,500km) away until 9 May . In the next few weeks and months, the dwarf planet will be studied in great detail. But the most impressive images will be returned in December, when Dawn starts one of its lowest science orbits. It will be at an altitude of just 225 miles (360km) above the surface - below the orbital height of the International Space Station around Earth - allowing it to get high resolution images of the surface. The primary science mission for the spacecraft will last until June 2016 - by which the team expects to have achieved all of its scientific goals -and it is unlikely the spacecraft will be extended beyond that date, as it will probably start running out of fuel by then. This map-projected view of Ceres was created from images taken by Nasa's Dawn spacecraft during its initial approach to the dwarf planet, prior to being captured into orbit in March 2015. Differences in morphology and color across the surface suggest Ceres was once an active body . Perhaps of most interest, though, are the mystery bright spots on the surface. These are thought to possibly be expanses of ice inside a crater on Ceres. Based on new infrared images released by Nasa the other day, it appears that the pair of spots have different thermal properties - suggesting they have different origins. They could also be towering ‘water volcanoes’, but more observations will be needed to confirm or deny this. 'The bright spots continue to fascinate the science team, but we will have to wait until we get closer and are able to resolve them before we can determine their source,' said Chris Russell from the University of California, Los Angeles. These images, from Dawn's visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR), highlight two regions on Ceres containing bright spots. The images suggest they coudl be towering ‘water volcanoes’, but more observations will be needed to confirm or deny this . 'The bright spots [seen in this previous Nasa image] continue to fascinate the science team, but we will have to wait until we get closer and are able to resolve them before we can determine their source,' said Chris Russell from the University of California, Los Angeles .
Nasa scientists in California have released new images of Ceres . They were taken by Dawn from a distance of 21,000 miles (33,000km) The spacecraft is beginning to move closer and closer to Ceres . And it will soon study the whole planet - including its mystery bright spots .