Ceres hides a salty ocean beneath its surface
NASA's Dawn mission revealed Ceres, a dwarf planet, likely harbors subsurface brines, hinting at a salty ocean beneath its icy crust and potential for past life.
Ceres, the largest dwarf planet in the asteroid belt, isn't a dead rock. NASA's Dawn mission, orbiting from 2015-2018, found strong evidence of subsurface brines – salty liquid water reservoirs – beneath its icy crust. Bright spots in craters like Occator, made of salts, suggest these liquids recently seeped to the surface.
There's more to this story — open the app to keep reading.
Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraphs · plus a 4-question quiz