I explain you in my new outreach article in @es.theconversation.com the exciting discoveries made by #DawnMission on #Ceres. An easy to translate content to your favourite language, echoing the excellent article in #ScienceAdvances and NASA press release👇
#PlanetSci

A grayscale image of Ceres, a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 4th. The image shows the northern hemisphere of Ceres, featuring numerous craters and a prominent bright spot, possibly composed of reflective ice. The image was captured from a distance of 13,600 kilometers during a mapping orbit.

Astronomy Picture from 14/05/2015

Dwarf Planet, Bright Spot

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150514.html


#DawnMission #Ceres #DwarfPlanet #SpaceExploration #NASA #PlanetaryScience #SolarSystem #AsteroidBelt #BrightSpot #CosmicWonder

Hubble Space Telescope image of Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt. A proposed reclassification suggests Ceres could be a dwarf planet. NASA's Dawn mission will further explore Ceres and Vesta.

Astronomy Picture from 21/08/2006

Ceres: Asteroid or Planet?

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060821.html


#Ceres #DwarfPlanet #AsteroidBelt #SpaceExploration #NASA #DawnMission #HubbleSpaceTelescope #PlanetaryScience #Astronomy #Space

A grayscale image from the Dawn spacecraft showing Occator Crater on Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt. Bright spots within the crater remain a mystery despite high-resolution images. A faint haze is also visible above the crater. The image is a composite from recent observations.

Astronomy Picture from 16/09/2015

Bright Spots Resolved in Occator Crater on Ceres

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150916.html


#CeresMystery #DawnMission #DwarfPlanet #AsteroidBelt #SpaceExploration #OccatorCrater #BrightSpots #NASA #PlanetaryScience #SpaceImage #Cosmology

Comment l'astéroïde Vesta a failli être une planète ? La sonde Dawn de la NASA qui a survolé Vesta a fourni des données qui montrent que cet astéroïde aurait devenir une planète naine si elle n'avait pas connu une origine complexe.

www.radiofrance.fr/francecultur...

#Vesta #Astronomie #Astéroïde #PlanèteNaine #CeintureDAstéroïdes
#SondeDawn #NASA #ExplorationSpatiale
#FranceCulture#FormationDesPlanètes #Espace
#VestaAsteroid #DawnMission #SpaceExploration
#NASAResearch #AsteroidBelt #SciencePodcast #SpaceScience

Stereo anaglyph image of 4 Vesta, a 500km diameter asteroid in the main belt, taken by the Dawn spacecraft. The 3D view reveals equatorial ridges, troughs, and craters, including the "Snowman" crater trio. Red/blue glasses required for 3D effect. Image scale bar shows 100 km.

Astronomy Picture from 20/08/2011

Stereo Vesta

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110820.html


#AsteroidVesta #DawnMission #SpaceExploration #3DAsteroid #NASA #PlanetaryScience #SpaceRocks #RedBlue3D #MainAsteroidBelt #VestaSnowman

Portrait of the Dawn mission for 4 Vesta’s Discovery Day. Ceres, Vesta, and Dawn, permanent residents of the space between Mars and Jupiter. #Dawnmission #nasa #space #vesta #ceres #asteroidbelt #scienceillustration #dwarfplanet #solarsystem

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17184-7

Fig. 7 shows the topography and brightness of the bright patches at Vinalia Faculae on Ceres. The colorized mosaics display the elevation of different areas, with blues representing lower elevations and reds indicating higher ones. The labeled bright centers (a–i) show areas with varying topography and features like dark rings and a potential dome. Topographic and brightness profiles also highlight specific features, such as low elevations corresponding to bright deposits and dark rings.

https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/1_ceres

https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/asteroids/#/home

Ceres’ Occator crater reveals unique impact deposits! 🪐🔬 Unlike the Moon or Mars, its icy, salt-rich crust creates muddy flows, hydrothermal brines, and carbonate formations. NASA’s Dawn mission captures these fascinating features! 🚀🌍

#Science #SpaceExploration #DawnMission #CeresResearch

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28570-8

Global Color Map (a) – A large-scale map of Ceres, where different colors represent different materials on the surface. The data was collected from about 1,400 km above Ceres using the spacecraft's camera. The colors (red, green, and blue) come from specific wavelengths of light, helping scientists identify surface compositions. The map is in a special projection (Mollweide) that stretches the image to display the entire surface. Detailed Image of Urvara (b) – A close-up view of the Urvara basin, taken from a much lower altitude (pixel scale ~35 m). This image highlights Urvara’s features, including its central peak, flat crater floor, and stepped walls, which are typical of large impact craters. Important landmarks in the basin are labeled for reference.

Fig. 5 shows data about the colors of different materials on Ceres, taken by the framing camera. Panel a: Shows the "absolute color spectra" (think of it as a graph showing how different sites on Ceres reflect light at different wavelengths) for some bright material (BM) sites and one dark material site. The sites look different, but most of the BM sites reflect light in a similar way, except one that has a reddish hue. Panel b: This is showing the "relative color spectra," where they focus on the reflectance at a specific wavelength of 0.65 μm. Here, they compare a few BM sites and one dark floor site. The central ridge exposure (CRE) has a color spectrum that is similar to the average BM spectrum on Ceres, but with less variation in how much light it reflects. The CRE spectrum is also different from the spectra of the Occator faculae (a bright spot on Ceres), and the Vinalia Faculae spectrum. The "error bars" mean there's a small amount of uncertainty in the measurements, about ±1.5

Urvara's reddish BM has a spectrum similar to Ernutet's reddish material, meaning they might have similar compositions. The 3.4 μm absorption feature (linked to organic materials) is present but weaker in Urvara compared to Ernutet. The absorption feature at 3.4 μm is strongest at the reddish BM site but weakens as you move away from it. It is completely absent in nearby young smooth material (SM). Young SM has a different spectrum, with strong absorption at: 2.7 μm (linked to Mg/Fe-phyllosilicates) 3.1 μm (linked to NH4+ phyllosilicates) 3.4 and 3.9 μm (linked to Mg/Ca-carbonates)

Unveiling Ceres' secrets with NASA's Dawn mission! 🌍🔬 Research explores the Urvara basin, analyzing bright material, organic-rich compounds, and resurfacing events using advanced imaging and crater age dating. 🛰️✨

#SpaceExploration #PlanetaryGeology #DawnMission #CeresResearch #BrineOrganicUrvara

Dawn Discovers Evidence for Organic Material on Ceres – NASA Solar System Exploration NASA's Dawn mission has found evidence for organic material on Ceres, a dwarf planet and the largest body in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

🧪🔭🧬Dawn Discovers Evidence for #Organic Material on #Ceres

2017 #NASA. #DawnMission
#zelena. #SolarSystem

solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/574/daw...

Asteroid Vesta found to have channels that look like water-made gullies When NASA’s Dawn spacecraft visited the giant asteroid Vesta, it discovered intriguing channels on the rocky surface, possibly made by water.

Asteroid Vesta found to have channels that look like water-made gullies: When NASA’s Dawn spacecraft visited the giant asteroid Vesta, it discovered intriguing channels on the rocky surface, possibly made by water.

#AsteroidVesta #SpaceExploration #PlanetaryScience #NASA #DawnMission #EarthDotCom

Lab Work Digs Into Gullies Seen on Giant Asteroid Vesta by NASA’s Dawn - NASA Known as flow formations, these channels could be etched on bodies that would seem inhospitable to liquid because they are exposed to the extreme vacuum

NASA’s Dawn mission uncovers new insights into the gullies on asteroid Vesta, revealing signs of past geological activity and possibly liquid flow. A glimpse into the early history of our solar system! #NASA #DawnMission #Vesta #AsteroidExploration
www.nasa.gov/missions/daw...

NASA Data Reveals Hidden Ocean of Organic Material on Ceres NASA Dawn mission data reveals vast organic material deposits under Ceres' surface, showing continuous replenishment from deep reservoirs.

Major discovery on dwarf planet Ceres! Scientists have found massive underground supplies of organic molecules - the same building blocks that make up life on Earth. And they're still active today! #NASA #DawnMission #Ceres #SpaceExploration #Astrobiology www.abovethenormnews.com/2024/12/11/n...