Asteroids and Dwarf Planets

A collection of images depicting asteroids and dwarf planets from NASA missions, showcasing their textured surfaces, craters, and unique geological features against a black background.

The moon from space

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on July 17, 2011. It was taken from a distance of about 9,500 miles (15,000 kilometers) away from the protoplanet Vesta. Each pixel in the image corresponds to roughly 0.88 miles (1.4 kilometers).

This image of Ceres is part of a sequence taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 4, 2015, from a distance of 8,400 miles (13,600 kilometers).

This image is from the last sequence of images NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained of the giant asteroid Vesta, looking down at Vesta's north pole as it was departing. Dawn escaped from Vesta's orbit on Sept. 4, 2012 PDT (Sept. 5, 2012 CET).

Eros' Aging Craters

The most visually striking feature on Saturn's icy moon Tethys is Odysseus crater. An enormous impact created the crater, which is about 280 miles (450 kilometers) across, with its ring of steep cliffs and the mountains that rise at its center. Odysseus is on the leading hemisphere of Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across). In this image, north on Tethys is up. This view is a composite of several images taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 17, 2015, at a distance of about 28,000 miles (44,500 kilometers) from Tethys. The Cassini spacecraft ended its mission on Sept. 15, 2017

This image is one from a series of images provided by the framing camera on NASA's Dawn spacecraft; the series shows a full rotation of Vesta, which occurs over the course of roughly five hours.

Cassini Encounters Iapetus

The moon from space

Mimas' gigantic crater Herschel lies near the moon's limb in this view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Shadows darken parts of some of Janus' large craters as NASA's Cassini takes a close look during its flyby of this Saturnian moon on March 27, 2012.

The great basin that interrupts the contours of this moon's crescent identifies the satellite unmistakably as Mimas. The giant crater Herschel (130 kilometers, or 80 miles wide) is this moon's most obvious feature

This image of Ceres is part of a sequence taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 4, 2015, from a distance of 8,400 miles (13,600 kilometers).

$The Cassini spacecraft looks down on the north pole of Dione and the fine fractures that cross its trailing hemisphere.$

This monochrome view of Mimas, the clear filter image used for the color map, is presented here

Some might see a pancake, and others a sand dollar, in this new image from NASA's Dawn mission. Astronomers are puzzling over a mysterious large circular feature located south of the equator and slightly to the right of center in this view.

Janus: Down South

One wide-angle and eight narrow-angle camera images of Miranda, taken by NASA's Voyager 2, were combined in this view. The controlled mosaic was transformed to an orthographic view centered on the south pole.

Phoebe Hi-Resolution Mosaic

This mosaic of Miranda was obtained by NASA's Voyager 2 during its close flyby of the Uranian moon. Miranda exhibits varied geologic provinces where ridges and valleys of one province are cut off against the boundary of the next province.

Older Southern Fractures

The low angle of sunlight creates stark shadows in this Cerean scene. NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this image on June 17, 2016.

This picture of asteroid 951 Gaspra is a mosaic of two images taken by the Galileo spacecraft from a range of 5,300 kilometers (3,300 miles), some 10 minutes before closest approach on October 29, 1991.

The Big Valley

NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured this view of Saturn's moon Epimetheus (116 kilometers, or 72 miles across) during a moderately close flyby on Dec. 6, 2015. This is one of Cassini's highest resolution views of the small moon.

Tethys Mysteries

NASA's Cassini spacecraft turns the eye of its camera toward Saturn's moon Mimas and spies the large Herschel Crater which itself looks like the iris of an eye peering out into space.

The Cassini spacecraft investigates the craters and deep valleys on Dione during a close approach in April 2007

Soaring Over Rhea

Rhea

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of dark material on hilltops on asteroid Vesta with its framing camera on August 18, 2011. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel.

As NASA's Dawn spacecraft takes off for its next destination, this mosaic synthesizes some of the best views the spacecraft had of the giant asteroid Vesta. Dawn studied Vesta from July 2011 to September 2012. The towering mountain at the south pole -- more than twice the height of Mount Everest -- is visible at the bottom of the image. The set of three craters known as the 'snowman' can be seen at the top left.

After passing on the darkside of the planet, NASA's Mariner 10 photographed the other, somewhat more illuminated hemisphere of Mercury. The north pole is at the top, two-thirds down from which is the equator.

Iapetus: A View from the Top

This image of Ceres is part of a sequence taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 7, 2015, from a distance of 8,400 miles (13,600 kilometers).

A Bite Out of the Moon

This image of Neptune's satellite 1989N1 was obtained by NASA's Voyager 2 on Aug. 25, 1989 from a range of 146,000 kilometers (91,000 miles).

A Stressed Surface

NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured this parting view showing the rough and icy crescent of Saturn's moon Dione following the spacecraft's last close flyby of the moon on Aug. 17, 2015.

High-Resolution MOC Image of Phobos

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows dark colored mountains (top of the image) in the northern region of asteroid Vesta. The origin of such mountains is currently being investigated.

This image of Ceres is part of a sequence taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 4, 2015, from a distance of 8,400 miles (13,600 kilometers).

NASA's Cassini spacecraft looks toward the south pole and cratered surface of Saturn's moon Janus in this image taken by the narrow-angle camera.

This enhanced image, taken by the framing camera instrument aboard NASA's Dawn spacecraft on July 9, 2011, views the south polar region of this giant asteroid.

On the South Side

The wrinkled border of Enceladus' south polar region snakes across this view, separating fresher, younger terrain from more ancient, cratered provinces

Mosaic of Eros' Northern Hemisphere

Now and Then

Rhea, like many moons in the outer solar system, appears dazzlingly bright in full sunlight. This is the signature of the water ice that forms most of the moon's surface, as seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Worlds Apart

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers). The image, with a resolution of 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel, was taken on June 7, 2015.

North Polar Region of Enceladus as seen from the Cassini Spacecraft

South Pole - Take 15

This Tempel 1 image was built up from scaling images from NASA's Deep Impact to 5 meters/pixel and aligned to fixed points. Each image at closer range replaced equivalent locations observed at a greater distance.

Janus seems to almost stare off into the distance, contemplating deep, moonish thoughts as the F ring stands by at the bottom of this image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Impact Central

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of the giant asteroid Vesta with its framing camera on July 24, 2011. Dawn entered orbit around Vesta on July 15, and will spend a year orbiting the body.

This 3D image shows the topography of craters and grooves of asteroid Vesta's south polar region obtained by the framing camera instrument aboard NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Aug. 23 and 28, 2011. You need 3D glasses to view this image.

The Battering and Debris

Sliver of a Planet

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 25, 2015, shows a portion of the southern hemisphere of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) with a resolution of 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel.

Dim Duo

This recently received panchromatic image of Pluto's small satellite Nix taken by NASA's New Horizons is one of the best images of Pluto's third-largest moon.

Chiseled Away

Iapetus shows off its puzzling light and dark terrain in this image captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Lit terrain seen here is on the Saturn-facing side of Iapetus.

Lunar mosaic of ~1500 NASA Clementine images of the north polar region of the moon.

Uranus' moon Miranda is shown in a computer-assembled mosaic of images obtained Jan. 24, 1986, by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft. Miranda is the innermost and smallest of the five major Uranian satellites,

Eros' Eastern and Western Hemispheres

NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the low angle of the sun over Tethys' massive canyon, Ithaca Chasma (near the terminator, at right), highlights the contours of this enormous rift.

These images show cratered regions near the moon's Mare Nubium region, as photographed by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's LROC instrument. Each image shows a region 1,400 meters (0.87 miles) wide. the bottoms of both images face lunar north. The image below shows the location of these two images in relation to each other. Locator Image

With the Band

The northern and southern hemispheres of Rhea are seen in these polar stereographic maps, mosaicked from the best-available NASA's Cassini and Voyager images.

From Terminator to Limb

The New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) captured an image of Jupiter's outermost large moon, Callisto.

Brush with Epimetheus

Crater Contrast

Iapetus, Third-largest moon of Saturn, and eleventh in the solar system; discovered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1671.

It All Ends at Mercury's Limb

Artist's concept of the Bennu asteroid.

The sponge-like surface of Saturn's moon Hyperion is highlighted in this Cassini portrait.

Saturn's Moon Rhea

The two-toned surface of Saturn's moon Iapetus is demonstrated in the dark region of the moon visible on the top left and the bright crater in the lower right of this portrait captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Surface of Enceladus

NASA's Cassini spacecraft snapped this image during the spacecraft's closest flyby of Saturn's moon Helene, on March 3, 2010. Helene is a 'Trojan' moon of Dione, named for the Trojan asteroids that orbit ahead of and behind Jupiter.

This mosaic, made from over 140 individual TV frames taken about two hours after encounter, shows the planet Mercury as seen by NASA's Mariner 10 as it sped away from the planet on March 29, 1974.

A Closer Look at Telesto (Monochrome)

This image mosaic of Vesta's south pole is generated from dozens of individual images from the framing camera aboard NASA's Dawn spacecraft. This view is centered on the asteroid's south pole, which is surrounded by several large impact craters.

The image on the left shows Cassini's view on approach to Phoebe, while the right shows the spacecraft's departing perspective. As it entered the Saturn system, NASA's Cassini spacecraft performed its first targeted flyby of one of the planet's moons.

Abundance of Very Large Impact Craters on Mathilde

Close-Up of Saturn's Moon Enceladus

Miranda, innermost of Uranus' large satellites, is seen at close range in this Voyager 2 image, taken Jan. 24, 1986, as part of a high-resolution mosaicing sequence.

This NASA Voyager 2 view of Uranus' moon Ariel's terminator shows a complex array of transecting valleys with super-imposed impact craters.

This image shows comet Tempel 1 approximately 5 minutes before NASA's Deep Impact's probe smashed into its surface. It was taken by the probe's impactor targeting sensor.

Multiple Horizons

The southern hemisphere of Saturn's moon Rhea is seen in this polar stereographic maps, mosaicked from the best-available images obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Artist's concept of the Apophis asteroid.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured this view of Saturn's moon Enceladus that shows wrinkled plains that are remarkably youthful in appearance, being generally free of large impact craters.

Pulverized Pulchritude (Enhanced Color)

High-angle view of lunar nearside looking northeast toward crater Copernicus (in center near horizon), crater Reinhold (foreground) and the smaller crater Reinhold B (above Reinhold), as photographed from Apollo 12 spacecraft, NASA, November 19, 1969

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