What is flashing us from mysterious dwarf planet? Riddle of Ceres’ spots deepens as probe finds ANOTHER flashing mark
- Ceres orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter, and may have water gushing from its surface
Ceres continues to baffle astronomers as the Dawn spacecraft gets closer to being captured into orbit around the dwarf planet.
The latest images, taken nearly 29,000 miles (46,000km) from Ceres, reveal that a bright ‘alien’ spot that stands out in previous images lies close to yet another bright area.
While Nasa has not provided an explanation, scientists suggest these spots may be frozen pools of ice at the bottom of a crater that reflect light.
‘Right now, all we can say is that the material reflects 40 per cent or more of the light falling on it,’ UCLA astronomer Chris Russell, the principal investigator for the Dawn mission, told NBC News.
‘This limit is because of the resolution of the camera at this distance from Ceres. If the final answer is that it reflects all the light that falls on it, then the most probable reflector would be ice.’
He added that there may be a volcano-like origin of the spots, but that Nasa will have to wait for better resolution before we can make such geologic interpretations.
Using its ion propulsion system, Dawn will enter orbit around Ceres on March 6.
When it does, it will become the first human-made probe to visit the ‘Death Star’ planet – and scientists hope it will uncover the secrets behind its mysterious white spot.