Close, closer, closest – the first images of Vesta obtained with the highest resolution
Close, closer, closest – the first images of Vesta obtained with the highest resolution
With the orbit lowered to an average height of 210 kilometres above the surface of the asteroid Vesta, the German Framing Camera system on board NASA's Dawn spacecraft is now able to acquire images with a resolution of approximately 20 by 20 metres per pixel. The left and centre images show the same area of the surface. The left image was acquired during the overview orbit in August 2011, from a distance of 2740 kilometres; it has a resolution of 260 metres per pixel. The centre image was acquired in September 2011 during the High-Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO), from an altitude of 700 kilometres, and reveals surface features down to 70 metres across. The right image was acquired on 13 December 2011 in the Low-Altitude Mapping Orbit (LAMO) from 199 kilometres above the surface, with a resolution of about 23 metres per pixel.
