1. Dwarf planet (1) Ceres surface bluing due to high porosity resulting from sublimation
- Author
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S. Potin, Bernard Schmitt, Maria Cristina De Sanctis, Simone De Angelis, M. Ferrari, Robin Sultana, Olivier Poch, Pierre Beck, Stefan Schröder, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France, Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali - INAF (IAPS), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), Italian Space Agency (ASI) through grant ASI I/004/12/2, European Project: 654208,Europlanet-2020 RI, European Project: ERC-CoG2017-771691,SOLARYS, and Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)
- Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Science ,Dwarf planet ,[SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP] ,General Physics and Astronomy ,Color ,01 natural sciences ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Bluing ,Article ,Astrobiology ,[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology ,Impact crater ,0103 physical sciences ,Spectral slope ,Highly porous ,Planetary science ,phyllosilicates ,Porosity ,Ejecta ,010303 astronomy & astrophysics ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,General Chemistry ,Mineralogy ,Dawn mission ,13. Climate action ,Reflectance spectra measurements ,highly porous ,sublimation residue ,Ceres ,Sublimation (phase transition) ,Asteroids, comets and Kuiper belt ,Geology - Abstract
The Dawn mission found that the dominant colour variation on the surface of dwarf planet Ceres is a change of the visible spectral slope, where fresh impact craters are surrounded by blue (negative spectral-sloped) ejecta. The origin of this colour variation is still a mystery. Here we investigate a scenario in which an impact mixes the phyllosilicates present on the surface of Ceres with the water ice just below. In our experiment, Ceres analogue material is suspended in liquid water to create intimately mixed ice particles, which are sublimated under conditions approximating those on Ceres. The sublimation residue has a highly porous, foam-like structure made of phyllosilicates that scattered light in similar blue fashion as the Ceres surface. Our experiment provides a mechanism for the blue colour of fresh craters that can naturally emerge from the Ceres environment., The origin of blue ejecta around the fresh craters of dwarf planet Ceres is unknown. Here, the authors show that the blue color results from high porosity of the surface, induced by sublimation of ice-phyllosilicate mixture produced by impacts.
- Published
- 2021
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