1. Detection of local H2O exposed at the surface of Ceres.
- Author
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Combe JP, McCord TB, Tosi F, Ammannito E, Carrozzo FG, De Sanctis MC, Raponi A, Byrne S, Landis ME, Hughson KH, Raymond CA, and Russell CT
- Abstract
The surface of dwarf planet Ceres contains hydroxyl-rich materials. Theories predict a water ice-rich mantle, and water vapor emissions have been observed, yet no water (H
2 O) has been previously identified. The Visible and InfraRed (VIR) mapping spectrometer onboard the Dawn spacecraft has now detected water absorption features within a low-illumination, highly reflective zone in Oxo, a 10-kilometer, geologically fresh crater, on five occasions over a period of 1 month. Candidate materials are H2 O ice and mineral hydrates. Exposed H2 O ice would become optically undetectable within tens of years under current Ceres temperatures; consequently, only a relatively recent exposure or formation of H2 O would explain Dawn's findings. Some mineral hydrates are stable on geological time scales, but their formation would imply extended contact with ice or liquid H2 O., (Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.)- Published
- 2016
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