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Hanami Planum

Hanami Planum
Hanami Planum Dawn captured this view from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) when it was in its second mapping orbit on June 15, 2015. This picture shows the northern part of Hanami Planum. (Hanami, which means "flower viewing" in Japanese, is a traditional appreciation of cherry blossoms. Planum is a geological term for a plateau or high plane.) Hanami Planum is one of the largest geological features on Ceres, spanning more than 345 miles (555 kilometers). Occator Crater, at lower right, shows its familiar reflective salt deposits as well as dark material outside the crater. Extending upward from Occator is a set of parallel linear features named Junina Catenae. (Junina is derived from Brazilian festivals held in June to celebrate traditional rural life. A catena is usually a chain of craters.) Geologists attribute the crater chains to ejecta from the large impacts that formed Urvara Crater and Yalode Crater. This scene is centered at 14°N, 213°E on the map here. (The orientation of this rectangular picture may make it a little difficult to make the connection with the map. The upper right corner is north.) Broad views like this are important for providing the context for the finer details of smaller regions photographed from lower altitude. Full image and caption. NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDAA