Image of the Day: August 2011

Bright and Dark Material on Vesta (Aug. 31, 2011): NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on August 12, 2011. This image was taken through the framing camera's clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Equatorial Grooves Imaged at the Limb of Vesta (Aug. 30, 2011): NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on August 11, 2011. The image was taken through the framing camera's clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Craters and Grooves (Aug. 29, 2011): NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of the surface of Vesta with its framing camera on August 11, 2011. It was taken through the camera's clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

South Polar Scarp (Aug. 28, 2011): NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on August 12, 2011. The image was taken through the framing camera's clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Dark Hill (Aug. 27, 2011): NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of the surface of Vesta with its framing camera on August 12, 2011. This image was taken through the framing camera's clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Topography of Vesta’s Surface (Aug. 26, 2011): This view of the topography of Vesta’s surface is composed of several images obtained with the clear filter in the framing camera on NASA’s Dawn spacecraft on August 6, 2011. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel. The image mosaic is shown superimposed on a digital terrain model. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI

Central Mound at the South Pole (Aug. 25, 2011): NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image -- of a central mound in a large structure at the south pole -- with its framing camera on August 12, 2011. This image was taken through the camera’s clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

False-Color Image of an Impact Crater on Vesta (Aug. 24, 2011): NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this false-color image of an impact crater in Vesta’s equatorial region with its framing camera on July 25, 2011. The view on the left was taken through the camera’s clear filter (left) and the false-color version on the right is composed of images through three color filters composed to a false color ratio image (right). In this false Red-Green-Blue (RGB) color scheme, red is used for the ratio of the brightness at wavelengths of 750 nanometers to the brightness at 440 nanometers, green is used for the ratio to the brightness of 750 nanometers to 920 nanometers and blue is used for the ratio to the brightness at 440 nanometers to 750 nanometers. Red-blue tones capture the visible continuum and green tones capture the relative strength of the ferrous absorption band at 1 micron. The images have a resolution of about 490 meters per pixel. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Topography of Troughs on Vesta (Aug. 23, 2011): This view of the topography of Vesta’s surface is composed of several images obtained with the clear filter in the framing camera on NASA’s Dawn spacecraft on August 6, 2011. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel. The image mosaic is shown superimposed on a digital terrain model. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI

Up and Down in Vesta’s Cratered Terrain (Aug. 22, 2011): NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on August 11, 2011. This image was taken through the camera’s clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

False-Color Image of Vesta’s Equatorial Region (Aug. 21, 2011): NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this false-color image with its framing camera on July 25, 2011. The view on the left was taken through the camera’s clear filter (left) and the false-color version on the right is composed of images through three color filters composed to a false color ratio image (right). In this false Red-Green-Blue (RGB) color scheme, red is used for the ratio of the brightness at wavelengths of 750 nanometers to the brightness at 440 nanometers, green is used for the ratio to the brightness of 750 nanometers to 920 nanometers and blue is used for the ratio to the brightness at 440 nanometers to 750 nanometers. Red-blue tones capture the visible continuum and green tones capture the relative strength of the ferrous absorption band at 1 micron. The images have a resolution of about 490 meters per pixel. credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Cameras

The mission's success crucially depends on the two cameras, Dawn's eyes. The cameras were developed and built under the leadership of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research with significant contributions by the Institute for Planetary Research of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and in coordination with the Institute of Computer and Communication Network Engineering of the Technical University Braunschweig. more...