On the Dwarf Planet Ceres, there is an 80 million-year-old crater that is 57 miles wide and 2.5 miles deep. At the center of this crater is a dome structure covered in reflective material. This material is the brightest spot on Ceres and scientists have been trying to figure out exactly what it is since it was discovered. Recently, with the help of the Dawn space probe, scientists have been able to figure out that this spot consists of the highest concentration of carbonate minerals ever seen outside of Earth. We now believe that these minerals came from inside Ceres and not from any asteroid. The minerals could also be the remains of an ocean that froze millions of years ago and could point to liquid water existing below the surface just a short time ago.
In addition, the presence of the carbonate minerals shows that Ceres has more in common with the outer planets like Saturn and Neptune than it does with the asteroid belt where it is located. This adds credibility to the theory that Ceres was not formed in the asteroid belt. Learning about the Occator Crater has taught us a lot about the origins and composition of Ceres. The infographic below has the details.
For more information on Ceres visit our friends at NASA.
