Not Mars, not Jupiter’s moon: NASA already looking for life on this small planet

 

Credit: NASA

The largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, Ceres has been a fascination since it was discovered in 1801; much like the scientists who study it, so too the stargazers who watch it with admiration. For more than 200 years, it was considered an asteroid, but in 2006, its uniqueness led to reclassification as a dwarf planet. Current studies indicate that beneath the dusty surface of Ceres, there lies a tale of icy oceans and the potential signs for life, making it one of the most curious worlds within the solar system.

The planetary characteristics of Ceres differentiate It from its neighboring asteroids

Ceres is an anomaly amongst its nearby companions in the asteroid belt, not just in size but also in its composition. With a diameter of 588 miles (946 kilometers), it is sufficiently large to constitute 25 percent of the total mass of the asteroid belt.

However, it is still only 1/14th the mass of Pluto. Unlike the rocky asteroids in its orbit, Ceres has internal differentiation, implying its planetary characteristics; scientists believe it to have a solid core, a water-ice mantle, and a rocky, dust, and salt crust.

It may even hold more water than Earth. Its surface is dotted with relatively young craters and tells a tale of millions of impacts that have been resisted. Unlike worlds like the icy EUR and Ganymede, where craters tend to smooth up and fade away with time, in Ceres, they remain distinct due to the ice’s stability. Spectroscopic data and gravity measurements imply that the crust has mixed ice, dust, and rock, but of those ice-crust differences, features are left rugged for billions of years.

New research reveals the hidden history of water on Ceres

The new study depicts Ceres as an extraordinary “ocean world frozen in time.” Computer simulations support the idea that the crust of Ceres came from a dirty muddy ocean-that froze upon the cooling of the dwarf planet itself. This frozen crust might be the reason why steep walls of craters can be so persistent even when there is so much ice underneath it.

Long ago, an ocean of liquid might have existed under a thin layer of ice on Ceres’ surface, nourished by heat from radioactive isotopes. Bright deposits, such as those found in Occator Crater, are thought to be the occasional ruptures of this ancient ocean toward the surface.

Such traces are tantalizing evidence of old hydrothermal activity, raising the vital question about how much time liquid water might have existed on Ceres and if it could have been associated with some forms of microbial life.

Ceres: A novel frontier in the search for extraterrestrial life

Ceres has a unique significance in the quest for extraterrestrial life. With its water and past hydrothermal activities, it meets factors many scientists consider necessary for habitability among its criteria. Life forms, if any (like the ones that we may have found on these two promising planets), existing on Ceres would probably be microscopic, much like Earth’s bacteria.

Indeed, the presence of water vapor in its thin atmosphere and cold traps of ice in shadowed craters shows that Ceres might contain signs of habitability in times long gone, even though it may not contain an existing form of life.

Unlike all the other icy ocean worlds, such as Europa or Enceladus, but this is where the advantage of proximity and lack of extreme radiation make Ceres an easier target for missions in the future. Whatever we bring back with us could be analyzed as surface deposits or through the probes that penetrate the icy crust and reveal the history, including the potential for life.

Indeed, scientists are particularly excited by the prospect of receiving materials from sites where ocean waters that existed a long time ago reached the surface. Due to its size, icy composition, and closeness to Earth, Ceres is a compelling target for exploration.

Daringly frozen oceans and possible life forms make the understanding of habitability big challenge; however, such closeness provides insight into planetary formation and alien life (such as the ones that we may have found in the universe).