The geology of Ceres, broadly defined, is the scientific study of the surface, crust, and interior of the dwarf planet Ceres. It seeks to understand and describe Ceres’ composition, landforms, evolution, and physical properties and processes. The study draws on fields such as geophysics, remote sensing, geochemistry, geodesy, and cartography (see Planetary geology).
The spectrum of Ceres is similar to that of C-type asteroids.[2] However, since it also has spectral features of carbonates and clay minerals, which are usually absent in the spectra of other C-type asteroids, Ceres is sometimes classified as a G-type asteroid.
Ceres's surface has an albedo of 0.09, which is quite dark compared to the moons in the outer Solar System. This might be a result of the relatively high temperature of Ceres's surface, the maximum temperature with the Sun overhead was estimated from measurements to be 235 K (−38 °C; −37 °F) on 5 May 1991.[3] In a vacuum, ice is unstable at this temperature. Material left behind by the sublimation of surface ice could explain the dark surface of Ceres compared to the icy moons of the outer Solar System.
- ^ "Dawn data from Ceres publicly released: Finally, color global portraits!". www.planetary.org. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ^ doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.08.022
- ^ Saint-Pe, O.; Combes, M.; Rigaut, F. (1993-10-01). "Ceres surface properties by high-resolution imaging from earth". Icarus. 105 (2): 271. Bibcode:1993Icar..105..271S. doi:10.1006/icar.1993.1125. ISSN 0019-1035.