Vinalia Faculae closeup

Vinalia Faculae closeup
Vinalia Faculae closeup Dawn had this view on June 13 when its orbit took it 24 miles (39 kilometers) over Vinalia Faculae, the diffuse bright salt deposits east of Cerealia Facula in Occator Crater. The exposure was optimized to show details of the bright material (and chosen to minimize smear from the spacecraft's high speed so close to the ground), revealing a complex distribution. The rugged dark terrain appears similar to some terrestrial lava flows, but on cold Ceres, what flowed was mostly a muddy mixture of ice and rock. The picture is 2.3 miles (3.7 kilometers) wide.  Full image and caption. NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA