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Floating Between Mars and Jupiter, Ceres May Have More Water Than Earth (nasa.gov)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the drinks-from-dwarf-planets dept.

This week NASA's Dawn space probe swooped within 22 miles of the surface of Ceres, the dwarf planet that's the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. NASA's JPL reports: In more than three years of orbiting Ceres, Dawn's lowest altitude before this month was 240 miles (385 kilometers), so the data from this current orbit bring the dwarf planet into much sharper focus... "[T]he results are better than we had ever hoped," said Dawn's chief engineer and project manager, Marc Rayman, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. "Dawn is like a master artist, adding rich details to the otherworldly beauty in its intimate portrait of Ceres."
EarthSky reports NASA captured an up-close glimpse of those tantalizing bright spots on Ceres: The spots, evaporate deposits composed of sodium carbonate, are thought to be left over from when water came up to the surface from deeper below and then evaporated in the extremely tenuous and sporadic water vapor "atmosphere." That water could be either from a shallow sub-surface reservoir or from a deeper reservoir of salty brines percolating upward through fractures. The deposits in Occator Crater are the largest and brightest of these deposits. As with many discoveries in planetary science, they were completely unexpected, and show that Ceres is not just an inert ball of rock and ice.
Slashdot reader thegameiam adds: Ceres may have more fresh water than exists on Earth. Perhaps this would make colonization of the asteroid belt more of a possibility?

82 comments

  1. Ceres: having more water than Earth... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "Ceres: having more water than Earth since at least 2005"

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
    1. Re:Ceres: having more water than Earth... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I knew Slashdot was behind the curve, but this makes Apple look like they're on the bleeding edge.

    2. Re:Ceres: having more water than Earth... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The sources list Ceres with 1/4 the total mass of the asteroid belt which seemed high with all that water. Then Wikipedia had Ceres with 1/3 the total mass (and no citation). My fourth edit in over ten years - I'm curious if it takes.

    3. Re:Ceres: having more water than Earth... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm pretty sure it has been posted on slashdot a couple of times before.

  2. We have to get our collective ... by Qbertino · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ... lazy and stupid assess out there into space. Humanity has yet so much to do but somehow only the war mongering and pretty idiots seem to be in charge. How I wish we could move on further and faster than we are. .... I really wish to see the Advent of feasible space colonization in my lifetime. That would be cool. And restore my faith in humanity.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
    1. Re: We have to get our collective ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's amazing how we are able to explore the surface of the Moon, Mars, etc, yet still have not been able to explore the bottom of the oceans on Earth.

    2. Re:We have to get our collective ... by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      Going into space would be nice, but it's not an end-goal. It's a consequence of having our shit together on earth. And getting our shit together also improves 7 billion lives.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    3. Re: We have to get our collective ... by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      You're confusing a lack of interest with a lack of ability. It's a common error, but a rather silly one.

    4. Re: We have to get our collective ... by c6gunner · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's a good thing Europe got it's shit together before exploring the Americas, or the whole project would have just been one massive waste of time.

    5. Re:We have to get our collective ... by murdocj · · Score: 1

      And I'd like a pony. Well, no, not a pony, but there's lot of stuff I'd like. Heck, I'd like to be a space tourist and visit the ISS. But you know, just because you want something doesn't mean it makes sense. Right now space colonization doesn't make sense. For exploration, robots do a better job. For preserving the human race, there are many, many things we could do ahead of trying to plant a colony on another planet.

    6. Re: We have to get our collective ... by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 2

      I think you were trying to be sarcastic, buEurope did get it's shit together before exploring. I mean, the Vikings were in the Americas first, and look how well that did for them.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    7. Re: We have to get our collective ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a good thing Europe got it's shit together before exploring the Americas, or the whole project would have just been one massive waste of time.

      They had it all together as good as it gets in the 15th century. That's why they explored.

    8. Re: We have to get our collective ... by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      Interesting. So if Europe had it's shit together back in the late 1400s, by what metric are you concluding that we don't have our shit together today?

    9. Re: We have to get our collective ... by Hognoxious · · Score: 3, Funny

      Back then people knew how to use apostrophe's.

      Oop's!

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    10. Re: We have to get our collective ... by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 2

      Well, the colonizing countries had strong and increasing national unification going, effective international coordination (from the Pope), solid industrial/economic bases with governments generating surpluses, recovery from the black death, and a resurgence in the use of science to make predictions as opposed to be guided by 2000 year old documents. With the exception of not having the plague, which of those are we doing now?

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    11. Re: We have to get our collective ... by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      Well, the colonizing countries had strong and increasing national unification going, effective international coordination (from the Pope)

      Soooo ... you want to see an increase in nationalism and on overarching theocracy sucking wealth from nations while they engage in constant war with each other? OK. Interesting start.

      solid industrial/economic bases with governments generating surpluses, recovery from the black death, and a resurgence in the use of science to make predictions as opposed to be guided by 2000 year old documents. With the exception of not having the plague, which of those are we doing now?

      Well given that you're talking about humanity as a whole, we are doing all of those things, in different places. Some nations have strong industrial bases. Some are generating surpluses. Most, with the exception of the third world, are making much better use of science than ever before. So I would say we are doing all of them, except for the "recovering from the black plague" thing ... and I count that as a positive thing.

      Still not seeing how you're concluding that 1400s era Europe had their shit together but we do not ....

    12. Re: We have to get our collective ... by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      They had it all together as good as it gets in the 15th century. That's why they explored.

      We have it all together as good as it gets in the 21st century. That's why we're exploring.

    13. Re: We have to get our collective ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kaka felota.

      If you want to change the world, shut your mouth and start this minute.

    14. Re:We have to get our collective ... by antdude · · Score: 1

      Frak the governments. We will do it privately like what SpaceX does.

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    15. Re: We have to get our collective ... by Whibla · · Score: 2

      It's amazing how we are able to explore the surface of the Moon, Mars, etc, yet still have not been able to explore the bottom of the oceans on Earth.

      I'm sorry to say you are incorrect.

      There have been several descents into the Mariana Trench, which is the 'deepest' part of the oceans: roughly 11 km.

      The difficulty is, of course, largely due to pressure, or perhaps pressure differences. The difference between the vacuum of space and atmosphere at sea level is ... well, one atmosphere; the difference between the bottom of the Mariana Trench and atmosphere at sea level is more like 1085 atmospheres. Given this difference you might be able to see why visiting is not a common occurrence, despite being possible.

    16. Re: We have to get our collective ... by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      effective international coordination (from the Pope)

      Bullshit!
      --
      Henry VIII.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    17. Re: We have to get our collective ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that it wasn't Europe but Spain and exploring was not priority but inflating the wealth and gold deposits of the royal household that was already mega rich from taxing the common poor people to shit.

    18. Re: We have to get our collective ... by Agripa · · Score: 1

      Well, the colonizing countries had strong and increasing national unification going, effective international coordination (from the Pope), solid industrial/economic bases with governments generating surpluses, recovery from the black death, and a resurgence in the use of science to make predictions as opposed to be guided by 2000 year old documents.

      China had all of the same advantages and explored as far as Africa but then turned inwards and let her fleets rot. In addition to all of the above, the European countries had competition and various arms races. No one nation could say "no" to exploration and colonization for all of them and any of them them could say "yes" for themselves.

    19. Re: We have to get our collective ... by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      as opposed to be guided by 2000 year old documents.

      Those 2000-year-old documents were only 1300 to 1000 years old then.

      Unless you're talking about Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  3. Uh ... by thomst · · Score: 1

    How do we arrivee at Ceres "may more fresh water than Earth," if the calcium carbonate deposits that spark that speculation are considered to be from geysers of brine from deep in the minor planet's interior?"

    Where I live, brine is not considered "fresh water" ...

    --
    Check out my novel.
    1. Re:Uh ... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Fresh water is what you get when you distill the brine...

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    2. Re:Uh ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, I see, the ocean is a giant reservoir of fresh water. I don't know why I didn't figure that out sooner.

  4. While I agree with you on some level Qbert... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What you said is exactly why your premise is WRONG. We have to fix ourselves before we can survive in space. Earth is a huge ship and we are fucking it up faster than we can even reasonably escape it. This is the problem to fix.

    Any hope of surviving in space is dashed if we can't make Earth sustainable, this is a fucking shit show so far. We need to put SCIENCE in the driver's seat, not old moneyed coal traitor-barons of the 1800's.

    1. Re:While I agree with you on some level Qbert... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right now there's no serious will to make the Earth sustainable, but there is some interest in space exploration. The best way to make the Earth sustainable could be to trick people into developing the necessary tech for a space colonization project.

    2. Re:While I agree with you on some level Qbert... by macraig · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Have you considered that we evolve the species epigenetically through BEHAVIOR and the choices we make in our lifetimes? Perhaps what he suggests is precisely how we evolve ourselves to be less selfish and more cooperative: it's an endeavor that would require global participation and cooperation. That cooperation might be grudging during our lifetimes, but if that behavior becomes ingrained in our epigenetics then we might indeed achieve what you want at the same time. You think that these two activities must be separate and one precede the other, but I'm not so certain.

    3. Re:While I agree with you on some level Qbert... by roman_mir · · Score: 1

      Where do you see this evolution towards cooperation? I see evolution towards oppression of the individual by the collective. The laws are becoming more and more draconian, the systems of oppression grow their power. Individuals are falling in line and/or getting more depressed as this happens. Those with more initiative than others find creative ways to scam the system or go against it and get crushed. I see a conveyor belt with lots of police and oppressive systems built into it, not a society.

      --
      You can't handle the truth.
    4. Re:While I agree with you on some level Qbert... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The laws are becoming more and more draconian, the systems of oppression grow their power.

      You could have save a lot of typing and just said "I have no clue about the arc of history."

    5. Re:While I agree with you on some level Qbert... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What you said is exactly why your premise is WRONG. We have to fix ourselves before we can survive in space. Earth is a huge ship and we are fucking it up faster than we can even reasonably escape it. This is the problem to fix.

      Any hope of surviving in space is dashed if we can't make Earth sustainable, this is a fucking shit show so far. We need to put SCIENCE in the driver's seat, not old moneyed coal traitor-barons of the 1800's.

      Have you ever tried to perfect yourself, your significant other and your relationship before marriage? It will never happen. Progress is made through challenge and change, not through stagnation.

    6. Re:While I agree with you on some level Qbert... by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 1

      No, because no known mechanism for SELF-Selected epigenetic modification exists.

    7. Re:While I agree with you on some level Qbert... by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 1

      You have it all wrong
      As tRump proves, it is the oppression of the collective by the individual...who owns 88% of all Capital,that is, the 0.1%

  5. Oh science... by SvnLyrBrto · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why must you screw up so many science fiction plots? How's the protomolecule supposed to get loose on Eros if the Cant' isn't hauling all of that ice from Saturn to Ceres?

    --
    Imagine all the people...
    1. Re:Oh science... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      It probably shouldn't have been hauling it anyway. Aside from the humongous volume of water inside Ceres, Jovians moons are even closer.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    2. Re: Oh science... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stay away from the aqua!

    3. Re:Oh science... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Depending on alignment. Had to check but Ceres is at 2.7AU, Jupiter at 5.2AU and Saturn at 9.5AU. It is close enough that loading facilities at the source probably matter more than the extra distance though.

    4. Re: Oh science... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ruchirownya tuman sabaka!

  6. Let's have fun with it then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stick a big f'ing mirror at its L2 Lagrange point, bubble wrap it, plant some seeds.

  7. No laws on Ceres... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just cops

  8. More fresh water than Earth! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At the rate we're polluting, so say nothing of the fact that Twitler's just unleashed corporate America's biggest polluters, that fresh water will be the Unobtainium in the not very distant future.

    But will there be giant blue-skinned inhabitants that will want to block our attempts to capitalize on it?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

  9. B-b-but Moon Lizards Want Our H2O! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I was assured by TOP conspiracy theorists the lizard aliens from the moom are here to steal our water. Why would they waste time with us when there's this giant source of it just floating there trapped in space rocks.. FAKE NEWS!

    1. Re:B-b-but Moon Lizards Want Our H2O! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here's where that idea was stolen from.

  10. Belta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Beltalowda agree.

    1. Re:Belta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Came here to inb4 you, but.

  11. Re:Uh Uh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That water could be either from a shallow sub-surface reservoir or from a deeper reservoir of salty brines percolating upward through fractures.

    In other words, we are just speculating about the reservoir of salty brine. Really, we have no clue.

  12. G&T? by jabberw0k · · Score: 2

    so if Ceres has plenty of ice-cold water and carbonate, where's my gin asteroid?

    1. Re:G&T? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

      While there have been some promising early observations, no one yet has directly observed the hoped-for geysers of juniper.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    2. Re: G&T? by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      Talk to Elon; I'm sure he can get you one for the right price.

    3. Re:G&T? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go back to watching your Star Wars garbage and let the adults talk.

  13. Obligatory "The Expanse" reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey beltaloda ...

  14. Spin it up and hollow us out a place. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just don't let anyone bring anything blue and glowing inside.

  15. Re:Ceres is Electrically Scarred by belthize · · Score: 1

    Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition on articles involving space but the Electric Universe Brigade is very predictable.

  16. Confusing title, FRESH water by surd1618 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not only is this not news, but also the title of the post is confusing.
    The article says, Ceres may have more water (total) than Earth has fresh.
    The posting makes it sounds like Ceres has more water than we have in the oceans. Fresh water is only 2.5% of the water on Earth.

    1. Re:Confusing title, FRESH water by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      if the water has "salty brines" and sodium carbonate it certainly isn't fresh water but "salt water"

    2. Re:Confusing title, FRESH water by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      The article says, Ceres may have more water (total) than Earth has fresh.

      Which is a pretty rubbish comparison.

      It's like saying there are more soldiers in the Irish army than there are left-handed catholics in the Chinese navy.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    3. Re:Confusing title, FRESH water by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes! Some Ceres has more undrinkable water that Earth has drinkable water. Sheesh. Good thing solar power still work on Ceres - gotta need lots of energy to make that water drinkable. And to make hydrogen for fuel and oxygen for breathing and oxidizer. Still though, Ceres is a treasure in low gravity!

  17. Beltalowda by Xord · · Score: 2

    Beltalowda, To pochuye ke?

  18. "May Have" by rojash · · Score: 0

    ok CNN wannabe

  19. Ob by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    If it's floating it must have quite a lot of water, or it'd be resting on the bottom.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  20. Aliens by backslashdot · · Score: 1

    I hate to be the aliens guy, but if the core is warm enough, could there be a water layer with temperatures possessing microbe or slow metabolizing lifeforms. Not sure if it could be very evolved though. Lack of oxygen gas may be a problem, but then there are substitutes ask the bacteria living on Earths deep sea vents.

  21. crash it into mars by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    It would be nice to see Mars get an Ammonia-based asteroid, along with loads of fresh water.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:crash it into mars by mikael · · Score: 1

      There's Neptune with all that Ammonia . It's reassuring that our solar system will never run out of toilet freshener.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    2. Re:crash it into mars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And yet India has already run out of toilets apparently.

    3. Re:crash it into mars by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      So the solution is obvious: send all the Indians to Neptune!

      I get worn out doing all the thinking.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  22. Re:'tween Fed and State Trump has more years than by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Being cooped up with Hillary is clearly Dante's unspoken 10th level of Hell...

  23. Colonization by manu0601 · · Score: 1

    Perhaps this would make colonization of the asteroid belt more of a possibility?

    You would have to fuck Earth environment a lot more to make living on an icy rock attractive.

    1. Re: Colonization by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They say hell is other people. Sasa ke?

  24. Drop it on Mars by eagl · · Score: 2

    Drop the thing on Mars. Sure sure sure, make it as *slow* of a drop as possible, but still. Kersplash!

    I'll even give a sample business model.

    Rockets
    Tesla car in outer space
    David Bowie song
    Rogue "dwarf planet" with lots of water
    Mars
    Profit!

    1. Re:Drop it on Mars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Alas, the theory compares Ceres to the amount of fresh water on Earth, which is a drastically smaller amount. (Like 1%-3% depending if you count all aquifers and glaciers.)

      So not enough to give Mars a wettening.

  25. Asteroid Mining? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe we should tow this thing to Mars or the Moon and then harvest the water for colonies. Who ever can get ahold of this asteroid will probably dominate any future colonization in our inner solar system.

  26. Closing comment make any sense? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Perhaps this would make colonization of the asteroid belt more of a possibility?"

    Does anyone else think this is a terrible idea, water being the least of your worries on this rock?

  27. Re:'tween Fed and State Trump has more years than by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 1

    What,you know something Trey (loser) Gowdy didn't find out in TWO YEARS of federally financed witchunt?

  28. Umm, No? by jonadab · · Score: 1

    1-Ceres isn't physically large enough to have more water than Earth. If it were 100% liquid water, it still would amount to less than half the amount of water on Earth. I suppose it could be more than 200% liquid water if we revise our understanding of physics a bit, but I don't think finding a little soda on the surface is sufficiently strong evidence to warrant that.

    --
    Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
    1. Re:Umm, No? by RockDoctor · · Score: 2

      1-Ceres isn't physically large enough to have more water than Earth. If it were 100% liquid water, it still would amount to less than half the amount of water on Earth

      Let's check that - mass of Ceres is approximately 0.0009393 * 10^24kg, while Earth is 5.97 * 10^24kg, for a ratio of 0.00016 (0.016%). My collection of bits of solar system data gives the proportion of water (by mass) in Earth as 0.00022. that would be about 1.4 Ceres masses. Not a wild disagreement, since we've considerable uncertainty about the water content of the Mantle (80-odd % of the mass of the Earth).

      Actually that would mean the Ceres would contain enough mass of oxygen to give Mars a workable atmosphere, if it were all water. but if it were a few percent water, then it's a lot closer a question.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"