What Are Ceres' Bright Spots? Closest Yet, and Experts Still Can't Say

New images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft have brought humanity a mere 2,700 miles above the surface of the protoplanet known as Ceres. Now, for the first time ever, experts are able to see the nooks and crannies of this alien world in stunning detail; and even still, two "bright spots" on its surface remain a mystery.

According to NASA, Dawn slipped into to its current orbit last weekend (June 6) and will remain at this distance until the end of the month. Then, it will slowly drop into closer and closer orbits.

Even before Dawn closed in this much, there was one thing investigators could say about the protoplanet: it certainly won't give up it's secrets easily.

"The bright spots in this configuration make Ceres unique from anything we've seen before in the solar system," Chris Russell, principal investigator for the Dawn mission based at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a statement. (Scroll to read on...)

Still, as an avid sci-fi reader, I personally remain partial to the idea that the spots are actually sprawling extraterrestrial villas made entirely out of crystal. Or perhaps they are reflective glyphs, left by our solar system's first inhabitants - messages for Earth's greatest mind to decipher.

Until Dawn draws closer and closer to Ceres in the month's to come, you might as well fantasize while you can!

Want to learn more about the mysterious dwarf planet and why Ceres is visiting it? More here.

For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).

- follow Brian on Twitter @BS_ButNoBS