After years of studying the surface of the Dwarf Planet Ceres, Scientists have finally uncovered the darkest secrets of the said planet.
Scientists have been curious about the bright spots in the surface of Planet Ceres captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. The spots appear to be a large salt patches but after deep study of the image, astronomers have finally uncovered the deepest secret of the dwarf planet. The large bright spot was not actually a salt patch but a huge crater of water turned ice.
The recent revelation that Planet Ceres holds a vast water turned ice coincides with the predictions 30 years ago though there is still no evidence that may hold these claims true. However, another studies show that planet Ceres is indeed covered with ice sheet as the Dawn's Framing Camera was able to capture scattered light from the crater. The frozen water in the surface of planet Ceres may have survived for over billions of years.
Reports also suggest that the Dawn has finally revealed that planet Ceres is indeed composed of 30 percent water at the poles. Thomas Prettyman of the Planetary Science Institute said that the water in the dwarf planet is oozing that you'd just swipe and find the ice table at the Ceres northern pole.
The Dawn was able to measure the water of the planet Ceres by pointing the Gamma Ray and Neutrino Detector instrument at the surface of the planet and by this, researchers were able to determine the Ceres could be 17 to 30 percent water by weight. Prettyman added that Ceres is 10 percent water only it is now frozen.
Meanwhile, following this recent findings, Scientists began debating over the possibility of planet Ceres to be added on the list of planets where life can exist, Telegraph reported. Carol Raymond, Dawn Deputy lead scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said that clues for life existence in the solar system can be discovered by finding bodies that were water rich. This theory may still need deep research and studies and solid evidence.
