17.8 day old Moon
90.1 percent lit
Here is a question for the space enthusiasts. What is the difference between a dwarf planet and a moon?
Hint: It has to do with their orbits.
March 6, 2015
By the AP
LOS ANGELES - A NASA spacecraft (click here) for the first time has arrived at a dwarf planet to begin a 16-month exploration.
The space agency on Friday confirmed that the Dawn craft entered
orbit around Ceres in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.Unlike other orbit captures that requiring thruster firings to slow down, Dawn gradually slipped into place.
The encounter occurred when Dawn was pointed away from Earth so it took some time before flight controllers could confirm the craft was healthy....
