NASA spacecraft sends new images of Ceres' mysterious conical mountain

Months ago, NASA's Dawn spacecraft began capturing images of Ceres, and among the many intriguing surface features it has discovered is a rather mysterious conical mountain.

The agency announced that the craft is now at an orbital altitude of a bit over 900 miles, and has sent surface images that are the sharpest to date.

Among the many geological formations captured in great detail is the oddly shaped elevation, which measures about 3 miles from ground to tip.

Researchers have yet to determine many specifics about the mountain.

Among Dawn's numerous tasks is to take images of the entire dwarf planet, which will be used to create a 3D model of Ceres' surface.

The craft is also using its infrared mapping spectrometer to gather information about the minerals that comprise Ceres' surface.

It takes 11 days for Dawn to cover the entire area, during which time it orbits the celestial body about 14 times.

In October, Dawn will make an even closer approach, descending until it is a mere 230 miles above Ceres.