Water vapour around dwarf planet Ceres

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Herschel discovers water vapour around dwarf planet Ceres

22 January 2014 ESA’s Herschel space observatory has discovered water vapour around Ceres, the first unambiguous detection of water vapour around an object in the asteroid belt.

With a diameter of 950 km, Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. But unlike most asteroids, Ceres is almost spherical and belongs to the category of ‘dwarf planets’, which also includes Pluto.

Read more...

[Xynoplas]

We will know much more in 2015:

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/feature_stories/Dawn_Fills_Out_Ceres_Dance_Card.asp

[keithisco]

January 22, 2014

Scientists using the Herschel space observatory have made the first definitive detection of water vapor on the largest and roundest object in the asteroid belt, Ceres.

Plumes of water vapor are thought to shoot up periodically from Ceres when portions of its icy surface warm slightly. Ceres is classified as a dwarf planet, a solar system body bigger than an asteroid and smaller than a planet.

Herschel is a European Space Agency (ESA) mission with important NASA contributions.

Read More, Coutesy JPL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-020&1&utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NASAJPL&utm_content=releases20140122

[Paranomaly]

Expanding our knowledge of the universe is awesome!

[jeaflor]

At the risk of violating some mysterious rules against discussing religion I want to point out that the Book of Genesis records that God placed a layer of water vapor around the earth.

Genesis 1:7-8

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Firmament/heaven in this usage simply means the sky/earth’s atmosphere. This water vapor precipitated out at the time of Noah’s Flood.

Now, since nobody here seems to be able to answer the questions that brought me here, I see no reason to prolong my presence.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

At the risk of violating some mysterious rules against discussing religion

There is nothing mysterious about our rules.

We ask that topics not be threads not be taken off topic and that members don't preach.

Your post breaks both these rules.

If you wish to discuss religion there are sections for you to do that. This section is for science discussions.

Thank you.

[Xynoplas]

Anyway, the vapor is barely visible; it's not surprising that a little should be present. Don't comets at that solar distance begin to have tails?

Maybe this is just NASA trying to stir up interest in their project.

Ceres as a harbor for extraterrestrial life is an extreme long shot. Its water is as frozen as it gets, with no possibility of tidal heating as you would in a moon in orbit around a gas giant.

[Erowin]

Space whales Edited February 13, 2014 by Erowin

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Space whales

Yes, very good.

You do know what vapour is don't you?

[psyche101]

2 Questions, if I may ask Waspie:

1 - Why is Ceres not shown on typical depictions of the solar system when Pluto often rates a mention before and after the demotion to Dwarf Planet? As per:

And

2 - Where does all the water come from?

From the link:

“We estimate that approximately 6 kg of water vapour is being produced per second, requiring only a tiny fraction of Ceres to be covered by water ice, which links nicely to the two localised surface features we have observed,”

If it has been doing this for 4 billion years or thereabouts, it would have to be getting low on water would it not?

[Xynoplas]

If it has been doing this for 4 billion years or thereabouts, it would have to be getting low on water would it not?

So is your conclusion that the measurements are mistaken, or do you believe that some other factor is at work?

As I said, the probe will doubtless teach us more about this.