NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is closing in on Ceres, and during its approach it’s captured some incredibly sharp images of the dwarf planet.

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is closing in on Ceres, and during its approach is taking increasingly sharper images of the dwarf planet.

They are much clearer than those previously taken by the Hubble telescope, giving researchers an indication of what Dawn will find once it enters orbit around the protoplanet.

Thus far, it’s looking like there are several surprising features on Ceres’ icy surface.

The blurry images taken by Hubble gave the impression that the celestial orb’s surface was a smooth one, but that depiction is proving to be pretty far from reality.

Dawn’s cameras have captured evidence of craters, terrain diversity, and even a mysterious blob.

The time scientists will know for sure is approaching rapidly, but overall the wait has been long.

Dawn was launched in 2007 and has been on its way to and traveling through the asteroid belt si