Water detection on Ceres
Date: 21 January 2014
Satellite: Herschel
Copyright: Adapted from Küppers et al.
Variability in intensity of the water absorption signal detected at Ceres by ESA's Herschel space observatory on 6 March 2013. The most intense readings correspond to two dark regions on the surface known as Piazzi and Region A, identified in the ground-based image of Ceres by the Keck II Observatory. The two data points at 110° longitude were taken in a time interval of about 9 hours – equal to the Ceres rotation period – showing that variability in the water vapour production is possible even on short periods.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
