Since it's discovery way back in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi in Palermo, and originally thought to be a planet, Ceres has been capturing the imagination.
Now NASA have sent the Dawn Spacecraft to orbit Ceres, now considered a dwarf planet in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. As Ceres begins to orbit the tiny planet NASA hope to learn more about the icy terrain and rocky outcrops that have already been observed.
It is thought that Ceres could harbor a frozen water lake or ocean, and various hydrated minerals such as carbonates and a clay type soil.
In January 2014, emissions of water vapor were detected by NASA, spouting from the surface Ceres, something that previously only been spotted on Comets.
The possibilities for life out there in the Universe, even in our own solar system come in many guises and equations... but Ceres has been a possible candidate for primitive life since the discovery of frozen water. maybe NASA are bout to answer the question of possible life on Ceres in the near future...
NASA scientists said today that they are 'exhilarated' as Dawn spacecraft orbits mini-planet Ceres.
This thread will update...
Source: outer-space-guests.blogspot.com
