Active worlds can turn up in unexpected places. For proof, look no further than the mysterious dwarf planet Ceres. NASA's Dawn spacecraft has been exploring Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter since March 2015, and review of images Dawn has returned reveals that the dwarf planet is no mere hunk of dead rock.
The mysterious bright spots on Ceres, which have captivated both the Dawn science team and the public, reveal evidence of Ceres' past subsurface ocean, and indicate that, far from being a dead world, Ceres is surprisingly active," said Carol Raymond, Manager of the Small Bodies Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Geological processes created these bright areas and may still be changing the face of Ceres today."
NASA researchers explain that the most reflective spots, found at the bases of craters—especially the Occator Crater—demonstrate salt-rich material, which was likely once mixed with water. This discovery has stunned scientists all around the world.
Other not-as-bright spots, mostly spotted along the rims of craters and showing down toward the bases of the dips, were either revealed during impacts or formed during such events; other bright material noticed by Dawn represents materials ejected during impact events.
Among the surface features of Ceres are hundreds of bright, reflective areas that stand out from its otherwise dark face. Ceres is more than just holes, though; the Ceresian mountain Ahuna Mons also sports some shiny spots, likely the result of a cryovolcano, formed by the slow building of thick, flowing icy matter.
The dwarf planet's surface has spent millions of years mixing dark and bright material, which indicates that billions of years ago—when Ceres was subjected to a heavier amount of impacts—it was probably showing a wider display of bright spots.
This is just the latest revelation about Ceres—there are more details to come on what has happened (and is happening) on Ceres, as Dawn continues its exploration, lowering in altitude and heading even closer to its exterior.
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