New, Clearer Image of Bright Spots on Ceres

[bison]

The US space agency's Dawn satellite has returned its best view yet of the enigmatic bright spots on the dwarf planet Ceres. The features sit inside a crater called Occator, and the new image reveals their structure in very fine detail.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-34203797

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpegMod/PIA19889_modest.jpg

Edited September 9, 2015 by Saru
Added source link

[Grandpa Greenman]

Looks like it got hit by a snowball.

[Merc14]

Looks like it got hit by a snowball.

I can see that sort of.

Edited September 9, 2015 by Merc14

[bison]

Yes, it appears that there could be a hemispherical mound at the center of the brightest group of spots. There is what looks like a curved shadow on the left hand side of this feature. The sunlight is somewhat low and from the right; a mound would block it on its left side. The crater itself has a shadow on its right hand side.

Still waiting for spectroscopic data, which may help answer questions about the composition of the white spots. This data should also eventually confirm or refute the previous, puzzling observation that the bright spots have the same temperature as their darker background. A light colored surface reflects more and absorbs less energy from the Sun than a darker one. This would normally render it cooler.

[Merc14]

Yes, it appears that there could be a hemispherical mound at the center of the brightest group of spots. There is what looks like a curved shadow on the left hand side of this feature. The sunlight is somewhat low and from the right; a mound would block it on its left side. The crater itself has a shadow on its right hand side.

Still waiting for spectroscopic data, which may help answer questions about the composition of the white spots. This data should also eventually confirm or refute the previous, puzzling observation that the bright spots have the same temperature as their darker background. A light colored surface reflects more and absorbs less energy from the Sun than a darker one. This would normally render it cooler.

Not sure I see all that. When Dawn gets down into its Low Altitude Mapping Orbit we willl see a lot more detail (210KM as compared to 680KM above the surface)

[bison]

I'm not certain I see it, either. Just gave it my best shot, kept it tentative.

The supposed mound and shadow are easiest to see when using the magnification function attached to the image linked in the original post.

Edited September 9, 2015 by bison

[+DieChecker]

A mound of Adamantium? Or perhaps Unobtainium? Mithril?

[Maureen_jacobs]

Magnesium

[Nnicolette]

What i dont understand is why infrared images were released with a comment that the area wasnt as cold as the surrounding area. Is it just warmer ice because of the salt?

[Infernal Gnu]

IT'S A MOUND OF TRUMPIUM, the rest of the landscape looks like a disaster compared to it!

[bison]

What i dont understand is why infrared images were released with a comment that the area wasnt as cold as the surrounding area. Is it just warmer ice because of the salt?

Actually, the report at the time was that the bright spots and the darker background were the same temperature. This seems to suggest the excess heat is present in the bright spots, because they should, according to what we understand about basic physics, be cooler.

It was speculated that the resolution of the spectroscope image might have been too low, at that time, to make an accurate reading. It was, though, able to discern that another large bright spot, on a different part of Ceres, was cooler than its darker background, as such spots are expected to be. The new readings which have been taken, but not published yet, should have more than adequate resolution to accurately characterize the temperature of the bright spots.

Ice has been ruled out, because the constituents of water were reportedly not found in the spectrum of the bright spots. It remains to be seen if salt was detected or not.

Edited September 9, 2015 by bison

[Paranomali]

Awesome photo!

[Merc14]

Awesome photo!

They all are. 20 years ago I honestly never thought I'd see such photos but am very proud of what NASA, JPL and the rest have accomplished and a honestly thankful to see it.

Edited September 10, 2015 by Merc14

[qxcontinuum]

pixie dust?

[Ashyne]

The aliens are using light signals to communicate and they still don't know it.

[Shiloh17]

Being that it is dead center of the crater, I'd guess it is residual ice from a low speed comet collision.

[Calibeliever]

The craft is equipped is a mapping spectrometer so we should be able to know soon. Can't wait!

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4714

[Merc14]

The craft is equipped is a mapping spectrometer so we should be able to know soon. Can't wait!

http://www.jpl.nasa....hp?feature=4714

The fly-around image form your linked page doesn't show any real elevation element to the "spots".

[qxcontinuum]

what i trully find intriguing about this feature is the fact that is very condensed and present in only one area. Very unusual for a natural formation excepting making if is present beneath the surface and this particular portion was scrapped by something

Edited September 11, 2015 by qxcontinuum

[Merc14]

what i trully find intriguing about this feature is the fact that is very condensed and present in only one area. Very unusual for a natural formation excepting making if is present beneath the surface and this particular portion was scrapped by something

Actually there are "bright spots" all over Ceres but none are close to being as bright as Spot 5. That doesn't mean your scraping idea is wrong though.

[highdesert50]

The enigmatic spots certainly do capture our attention and imaginations; they do appear to be visually similar to satellite photos of Earth showing the geography of night time electricity consumption for outdoor lighting. If it were only so ...

[Calibeliever]

The fly-around image form your linked page doesn't show any real elevation element to the "spots".

Which is even more interesting I think. If there was a significant elevation difference it might be easily explained as an impact crater or out-gassing. It may well be one of those still of course .... *shrug* awaiting more data

[kartikg]

What if the chemicals are same like used in glow in the dark stickers?

[Merc14]

What if the chemicals are same like used in glow in the dark stickers?

I believe the spectrometers on board would be able to tell if that was the case

[Waspie_Dwarf]

I believe the spectrometers on board would be able to tell if that was the case

You wouldn't even need that. It these white spots were genuinely a light source, rather than highly reflective (as some have implied almost continuously since their discovery) then they should be visible on the night side of Ceres. They don'the seem to be.

There are only two explanations I can think of for this:

1. They are not a light source but instead reflect the sun.

2. They are a light source that only glows when they don't need to.

1. Is a highly logical explanation, 2. most certainly is not.