SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Bright Areas on Ceres Suggest Geologic Activity
Since Dawn arrived in orbit at Ceres in March 2015, scientists have located more than 300 bright areas on Ceres. A new study in the journal Icarus, led by Nathan Stein, a doctoral researcher at Caltech in Pasadena, California, divides Ceres' features into four categories.
The first group of bright spots contains the most reflective material on Ceres, which is found on crater floors. The most iconic examples are in Occator Crater, which hosts two prominent bright areas. Cerealia Facula, in the center of the crater, consists of bright material covering a 6-mile-wide (10-kilometer-wide) pit, within which sits a small dome. East of the center is a collection of slightly less reflective and more diffuse features called Vinalia Faculae. All the bright material in Occator Crater is made of salt-rich material, which was likely once mixed in water. Although Cerealia Facula is the brightest area on all of Ceres, it would resemble dirty snow to the human eye.
More commonly, in the second category, bright material is found on the rims of craters, streaking down toward the floors. Impacting bodies likely exposed bright material that was already in the subsurface or had formed in a previous impact event.
Separately, in the third category, bright material can be found in the material ejected when craters were formed.
The mountain Ahuna Mons gets its own fourth category -- the one instance on Ceres where bright material is unaffiliated with any impact crater. This likely cryovolcano, a volcano formed by the gradual accumulation of thick, slowly flowing icy materials, has prominent bright streaks on its flanks.
Ceres and cryovolcanos.
The formation and evolution of bright spots on Ceres (open, DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2017.10.014) (DX)
Previously: A Closer Look At Mystery Spots On Dwarf Planet Ceres
NASA's Dawn Orbiter Finds a Mountain on Ceres
Ceres's Cryovolcanoes Viscously Relax Into Nothingness
Organic Molecules Found on Ceres
Dawn Mission Extended at Ceres
Ceres May Have Had a Global Surface Ocean in the Past
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 19 2017, @03:15AM (7 children)
You know its a coverup when they call in the geologists. So boring everybody just tunes out!
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday December 19 2017, @04:12AM (6 children)
You'd prefer 'Ceres has teenage acne' explanation?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Informative) by aristarchus on Tuesday December 19 2017, @05:23AM (4 children)
"Ceres" is the Latin name for Demeter, the Goddess of grain, the Goddess of Agriculture, the Mother of Persephone. Of course she would have some geologic activity going on. Hardly acne, though. More "mature Goddess of Fertility" stuff. Oh My Goddess, if one of our MRA Red Pillar types were ever to run into Ceres! Hilarity would ensue!
(Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Tuesday December 19 2017, @06:40AM (3 children)
See her at spring time, then we'll talk about.
Well, others goddesses [wikipedia.org] nearby weren't that lucky [wikipedia.org]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 4, Informative) by aristarchus on Tuesday December 19 2017, @07:38AM (2 children)
Some times, c0lo, I worry about your apparent knowledge of things that most Soylentils cannot even comprehend. But I do not think that any Egyptian Goddess could revive a Soylentil MRA type. On the other hand, at least they will not end up with their dick on the nose of fish.
And, as an aside, there is an interesting story in the "Malleus Maleficarum" about witches that would steal penii. One priest was lead to a bird's nest in a tree [omgfacts.com] where there were at least a dozen phalluses, and it was pointed out that the smallest, but most active, one belonged to the local Bishop. And the lesson taken away from this, by the authors of the Malleum, was that we needed to burn more witches! Nice to see things have finally turned around, and Fox News has finally found their own bird's nest.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday December 19 2017, @09:31AM
Don't worry, magister, that too shall pass.
I don't know if the ring this was written on was meant to be worn on active dicks (and thus became useless with time), but... they say the mind is the second thing to go; only a matter of time now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday December 19 2017, @07:19PM
...there is an interesting story in the "Malleus Maleficarum" about witches that would steal penii.
Go witches! Should be a fairly small job. [sfgate.com]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 19 2017, @07:02AM
I was going for humor, but given the state of SN these days who can tell?