On the largest object that orbits the asteroid belt between Mars and Neptune, new evidence strengthens the idea that there is water on Ceres.
A previous study reports that the uppermost surface of Ceres contains vast quantities of hydrogen and even higher concentrations at mid and high altitudes. This is consistent with great expanses of water ice.
Previous studies done at NASA found that Ceres contains water vapor observed by scientists using the Herschel Space Observatory. They theorized that the vapor may be produced by ice found near the surface of Ceres.
It was observed that the dwarf planet has an icy surface and an atmosphere. However, unlike Earth where water is found on the surface of the planet, water on Ceres is likely in the form of water ice found within its mantle.
Astronomers estimated that Ceres could possibly contain more water than Earth as 25 percent of its surface is composed of water in a report published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
In 2007, a space probe was launched by NASA to study protoplanets in the asteroid belt namely Vesta and Ceres. It is currently in orbit of the dwarf planet, Ceres.
The Dawn Mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is the first exploratory mission to use ion propulsion which allows it to enter and leave orbit of several bodies in space.
According to Dr. Thomas Prettyman, principal investigator of Dawn's gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) and a prominent researcher at the Planetary Science Institute, ice on Ceres is not only localized to a few craters. It is everywhere and nearer to the surface at high altitudes.
According to Dr. Carol Raymond, deputy principal investigator of the Dawn mission based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, clues can be discovered as to where life may have existed in the early solar system as was reported in Sci-News.
