Showing posts with label New Bright Spot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Bright Spot. Show all posts
Friday, December 11, 2015
Mystery Bright Spots on Dwarf Planet, 'Ceres' Solved
Scientists have finally cracked the mystery of the unexplained lights on the dwarf planet Ceres that were speculated to be everything from alien cities to ice volcanoes.
After months of research gathered from the Dawn spacecraft, two new studies published in the journal "Nature" are shedding new light on what the 130 bright spots observed on Ceres could be and the surprising place where the dwarf planet may have formed.
In the first study, scientists determined those unusual areas of brightness are likely deposits of a salty substance comprised of magnesium sulfate, similar to epsom salt on Earth. The deposits were likely left when water-ice sublimated, scientists said. The impact from asteroids would have then unearthed the salty mixture, according to the study.
The second study reported the detection of ammonia-rich clays, suggesting Ceres may have not formed in the asteroid belt and instead may have been born in the outer solar system.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
New Mystery Spot on Dwarf Planet Ceres
By Alan Boyle
www.nbcnews.com
6-16-15
Now here's a spot of a different color: The latest picture released by the science team for NASA's Dawn mission shows a bright patch on the dwarf planet Ceres that's distinct from the eerie "alien headlights" seen in other imagery.
The best-known collection of bright spots on Ceres is known as "Spot 5," and the best guess is that those spots are made of ice deposits — although scientists haven't completely ruled out the possibility that they're made of salt or some other light-colored material.
The picture released on Tuesday focuses on another bright area called Spot 1. The image was captured on June 6 from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers).
Dawn's scientists say Spot 1 is as much a mystery as the more famous Spot 5. . . .
