Ceres is the biggest object in the asteroid belt positioned between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Nearly spherical, Ceres belongs to the category of “dwarf planets,” which also includes Pluto among its members.
Ceres is said to be layered, likely with a rocky core and an icy outer mantle. This is significant given that the water-ice content of the asteroid belt has major ramifications. Water in the asteroid belt has been foreshadowed by the observation of comet-like activity around some asteroids, but no definitive detection of water vapor has ever been made.
Now, utilizing Herschel to examine Ceres, astronomers have gathered data that suggest water vapor being discharged from the icy world’s surface. According to lead author Michael Küppers of ESA’s European Space Astronomy Centre, this is the first time water has been detected in the asteroid belt. This provides proof that Ceres has an icy surface and an atmosphere, he said.
The astronomers determined the distribution of water sources on the surface by observing differences in the water signal during the dwarf planet’s 9-hour rotation period. Nearly all of the water vapor was observed to be originating from just two locations on the surface.
One possibility is that water vapor is being generated through sublimation, by which ice is warmed and changes directly into gas, pulling the surface dust with it, and consequently revealing fresh ice underneath to keep the process going. The other possibility is that icy volcanoes play a role in Ceres’ activity.
Read more about the findings here.
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