Finally, a close-up look at those spots on Ceres in Occator crater that are so bright that they can be seen from Earth. Warning, contrast is greatly reduced in this image so that both spots and surrounds can be seen, the spots are actually much brighter than this.
NASA’s Dawn mission offers a closer look at the dwarf planet Ceres

The scientists think those white, vein-like growths inside the pit could indicate geologic activity in the “recent past,” which still means a few million years ago or so. Dawn’s other images also show that Ceres doesn’t have as many large impact craters as scientists thought, and that there’s one particular crater called Haulani that’s composed of different materials than the rest of the dwarf planet. Besides taking photos, the spacecraft used its Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND) to measure Ceres’ elemental composition. The instrument detected fewer neutrons near its poles, indicating a big amount of hydrogen concentration.

Absolutely amazing

dv said:

Absolutely amazing

mollwollfumble said:

Finally, a close-up look at those spots on Ceres in Occator crater that are so bright that they can be seen from Earth. Warning, contrast is greatly reduced in this image so that both spots and surrounds can be seen, the spots are actually much brighter than this.
NASA’s Dawn mission offers a closer look at the dwarf planet Ceres

The scientists think those white, vein-like growths inside the pit could indicate geologic activity in the “recent past,” which still means a few million years ago or so. Dawn’s other images also show that Ceres doesn’t have as many large impact craters as scientists thought, and that there’s one particular crater called Haulani that’s composed of different materials than the rest of the dwarf planet. Besides taking photos, the spacecraft used its Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND) to measure Ceres’ elemental composition. The instrument detected fewer neutrons near its poles, indicating a big amount of hydrogen concentration.

The more I look at this, the less I understand it. The centre is clearly the centre of impact, and centre of Occator crater, where some large object hit Ceres. The whole image is within Occator crater. The seven paler regions to the right are clearly where the white ejecta landed, the biggest of these has its own small crater in the centre.

The main central region, everywhere except lower left, looks like a solidified flow zone, like lava flowing down almost all sides of a crater before it freezes. This is supposed to be salt or ice. Are the white linear features cracks or ridges? If cracks then the impact would have generated them and if ridges then possibly pressure ridges as ice expands on freezing.

At lower left of the central white zone is most puzzling. It looks like white on black on white. Perhaps a secondary small source of white lava in the middle popping up through the black blanket?

Might the “lava” be something that was liquid only during the settling of the impact?

Postpocelipse said:

Might the “lava” be something that was liquid only during the settling of the impact?

Yes, that’s how I read it.