Dawn on Ceres: Nasa probe to enter dwarf planet's orbit

First rendezvous with the largest object in the asteroid belt separating Mars from Jupiter will reveal what Ceres is made of

Nasa scientists are making final preparations for a spacecraft to begin the first orbits around a dwarf planet in the planetary rubble on the far side of Mars.

Almost eight years after blasting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, and travelling 3bn miles (4.8bn km), the $450m (290m) Dawn probe is due to arrive at Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt that separates Mars from Jupiter, on Friday 6 March.

Related: Nasa probe spots mysterious shiny patches on dwarf planet Ceres