As Ceres reaches opposition this week, back garden telescopes will be able to catch it in the constellation of Aquarius! But how do dwarf planets like Ceres fit into our picture of the solar system? Although not as big or flashy as the larger planets, dwarf planets have a lot to offer the world of …
Underground Salt Water on Ceres
Thanks to data from NASA‘s Dawn spacecraft, scientists have found evidence for underground salt water on Ceres. The spacecraft was able to provide detailed views of the mysterious bright areas on the surface of the dwarf planet. Scientists realised that these bright areas were sodium carbonate deposits, which must have been formed from a salty …