Table of Contents
What type of rock is Ceres?
Dawn found Ceres’s surface to be a mixture of water ice and hydrated minerals such as carbonates and clay. Gravity data suggest Ceres to be partially differentiated into a muddy (ice-rock) mantle/core and a less-dense but stronger crust that is at most 30% ice….Ceres (dwarf planet)
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Angular diameter | 0.854″ to 0.339″ |
Is Ceres a rocky planet?
Called an asteroid for many years, Ceres is so much bigger and so different from its rocky neighbors that scientists classified it as a dwarf planet in 2006.
How thick is the crust on Ceres?
“Ceres’ average interior structure consists of a rocky mantle and a 40-km- (25-mile) thick crust, dominated by the frozen remnants of an ancient, global ocean.” “Rheological constraints indicate that the crust is volatile-rich, containing water ice, phyllosilicates, salts, and possibly clathrate hydrates.”
What kind of rock is the dwarf planet Ceres made of?
Ceres is composed of rock and ice and is estimated to comprise approximately one-third of the mass of the entire asteroid belt. Ceres is the only object in the asteroid belt known to be rounded by its own gravity (though detailed analysis was required to exclude 4 Vesta).
How is Ceres unique in the Solar System?
1 Ceres is the first dwarf planet to receive a visit from a spacecraft. 2 It is the only dwarf planet located in the inner solar system. 3 It does not have any moons or rings, and scientist believe that it also lacks a magnetosphere.
Are there organic compounds on the surface of Ceres?
Organic compounds (tholins) were detected on Ceres in Ernutet crater, and most of the planet’s surface is extremely rich in carbon, with approximately 20% carbon by mass in its near surface.
Where is Ceres located in the asteroid belt?
Located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, Ceres encompasses one-third of all the mass found in the asteroid belt. Its size would later grant it the status of a dwarf planet, in 2006.