Confirmed: Ceres Has a Transient Atmosphere

[Binary_Bark]

Sometimes they see it, sometimes they don’t. That’s why scientists have never been completely sure if Ceres has an atmosphere or not. But now data from the Dawn spacecraft — in orbit of Ceres — confirms the dwarf planet really does have a very weak atmosphere, but it comes and goes. The on-again-off-again nature of Ceres’ atmosphere appears to be linked to solar activity. When energetic particles from the Sun hit exposed ice within the craters on Ceres, the ice can sublimate and create an “exosphere” that lasts for a week or so.

Michaela Villarreal from UCLA, lead author of the new study, and her team wrote in their paper that the “atmosphere appeared shortly after the passage of a large enhancement in the local flux of high-energy solar protons,” and explained that when energetic particles from the Sun hit exposed ice and ice near the surface of the dwarf planet, it transfers energy to the water molecules as they collide. This frees the water molecules from the ground, allowing them to escape and create a tenuous atmosphere.

Read More: https://www.universetoday.com/134922/confirmed-ceres-transient-atmosphere/

 

[ShiiZZo]

Oooooh, that Ceres...

 

[Slootvreter]

Cool

 

[Mortymoose]

Oooooh, that Ceres...

Hahaha! Also thought the same! :crylaugh: