Clearest Photo Ever Of Ceres' Bright Spots Still Doesn't Answer Mystery

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7422262


Ryan Grenoble Editor at The Huffington Post

See spots. See spots shine. See shining spots puzzle scientists.

The mystery surrounding a cluster of glowing spots on the surface of Ceres, a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, was highlighted Wednesday when NASA released the highest-resolution photo of the spots ever taken:



NASA's Dawn spacecraft captured the image on May 16, as it was orbiting 4,500 miles above the planet's surface. It had entered orbit on March 6. The space agency says the crater that harbors the bright spots is about 57 miles wide.

Scientists have been aware of the phenomenon since the Hubble Telescope captured images of Ceres in 2004. As the resolution of the photos taken has increased, so too has the curiosity of astronomers.

Current theories to explain the spots include ice -- potentially exposed by the impact of another celestial object, or perhaps spewed out by some sort of icy volcano or geyser -- or salt deposits.

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