Just like Mercury and the moon, Ceres, the largest asteroid in the solar system of Earth has perpetual darkness cold pockets on its surface where researchers have now identified as ice, a new study finds. However, the authors of the new research say it's still a mystery why there's only small amount of ice in these shadowy crater floors. With a diameter of about 940 kilometer (585 miles), Ceres is referred to as both a dwarf planet and an asteroid. It is the solar system's main asteroid belt largest member and the dwarf planet closest to Earth, located between Jupiter and Mars.
Water is common on Ceres since previous studies revealed plumes of water vapor erupting from it and in rare instances; exposed water ice has been sighted at mid-latitudes. The surface material of the dwarf planet Ceres is also a mixture of ice and rock. Additional studies have suggested that it possesses a substantial amount of ice under the asteroid's surface, Live Science said.
At minus 200 degrees Centigrade, Ceres is among the darkest, coldest places in the Solar System. New image take by Dawn spacecraft of NASA reveal frozen water trapped in some of the craters where the sun doesn't shine. After Mercury and the Moon, Ceres is now the third planetary body, where frozen water was detected in its permanently shadowed areas.
According to Mirror, by understanding the frozen water spotted on Ceres, scientists and researchers hope to gain more studies about water on the Moon as well as other bodies without an atmosphere. Scientists hope it will eventually enable mankind to build a permanent lunar base.
Previous studies suggested that the dwarf planet might possess cold traps like those found on Mercury and the moon. Now, for the first time, researchers have images of trapped ice within permanently shadowed areas on Ceres.
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