NASA released mesmerizing pictures of the dwarf planet Ceres, showcasing the entire surface of the planet which is located in the asteroid belt. These images can be helpful for the scientists at NASA to reach for an explanation for the unusually bright spots on Ceres, which are puzzling them since a very long time.

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These images were taken from NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 4, 2015, when it was hovering around the dwarf planet at a distance of 8,400 miles, states Science Times. The images clearly show the bright spots in the northern hemisphere of Ceres, and it can be seen that these spots are composed of many small white spots.

The only assumption the scientists concluded is that these spots can be the result of ice, which is present in abundance on the surface of Ceres, states Boing Boing. These bright spots can easily be formed due to the reflection of sunlight, when it falls on a highly reflective surface like ice. It ought to be mentioned that there is no absolute confirmation of this theory to date.

Dawn rover is about to enter its second mapping orbit in about three weeks, on June 9, 2015. In this orbit, Dawn will be moving even closer to the exoplanet Ceres, and will be as close as 2700 miles to the planet.

This survey orbit will allow the rover craft to completely map the entire surface of Ceres and also to determine whether or not Ceres is geologically active. It entered the first orbit on March 6, 2015, making it the very first time for a craft to hover around a dwarf planet.

Ceres is a dwarf planet which is currently the largest object in the entire asteroid belt and is located between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists are currently trying to learn the formation and early days of this planet. With the latest images, the mystery of the bright spots may ultimately be solved.

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