Dawn Community

Sierra Stars Observatory Captures Image of Dawn Spacecraft 600,000 miles From Earth


Blinking of two 14-minute exposures of the Dawn spacecraft. Credit:* Bill Dillon.*

Bill Dillon, regular advanced user of Sierra Stars Observatory, used the Sierra Stars Observatory telescope to image the Dawn spacecraft early in October, 2007. The spacecraft was only 20th magnitude and moving fast. Dawn was in a fairly crowded star field at the time, but, fortunately, the spacecraft was not hidden behind stars.


	Credit: Chuck Manning, JPL

All Aboard the Dawn Spacecraft

During the “Send Your Name to the Asteroid Belt” campaign, more than 360,000 people signed up to participate in a virtual voyage to the asteroid belt. The computer chip holding all the participants’ names has been installed on the Dawn spacecraft in preparation for flight in Fall, 2007.
+ See Feature Story

The Dawn mission thanks you for participating. If you missed the “Send Your Name to the Asteroid Belt” opportunity, become a Dawn Young Engineer.

Design an Ion Engine Interactive Simulation

Discover how the Dawn spacecraft will use ion propulsion in its journey to the asteroid belt. This interactive simulation, developed by John Brophy and Art Hammond from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, features a series of engaging activities that first teach students some basics about electrical charges and then challenge them to apply their learning by designing a virtual ion engine.
+ See interactive
+ See Ion Propulsion Module

Dawn Amateur Astronomers

Discover the latest information about the location of Vesta and Ceres, links to information about the Telescopes in Education program, and more!

NASA’s Near Earth Object program provides an orbit diagram of Ceres.
NASA’s Near Earth Object program provides an orbit diagram of Vesta.
+ Finding Vesta + Telescopes in Education
+ Finding Ceres + Links

Flashback to a Time When People Believed the Earth was
The Center of the Universe

Join the Celestial Police in their search for the "missing planet" between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. Discover technological breakthroughs that revolutionized the study of asteroids.
+ Learn more


+ Play interactive + Download Flash Player	+ Non-flash version