Ceres Dwarf Planet | The Embroynic Planet Ceres in Our Solar System

The Dwarf Planet Ceres.

                The dwarf planet Ceres is located in the main asteroid belt, between orbit of the planet Mars and the planet Jupiter. The Ceres is the largest object in the main asteroid belt. The Ceres is nothing but an asteroid but it is large enough to categorized as a dwarf planet. The Ceres has enough gravitational force to be round in shape. The Ceres is firstly classified as a planet. But when scientists found similar object near the Ceres. So, the Ceres is reclassified as an asteroid. So, the Ceres becomes largest asteroid in the main asteroid belt. As other objects were discovered in the neighborhood of the Ceres. Then it was realized that the Ceres must be classified as in a new category. So, the Ceres was given the designation under the modern system of minor planet. So, Ceres becomes the closest dwarf planet from the Earth. The dwarf planet Ceres named after the Roman goddess of corn and harvests.

The closest dwarf planet from Earth, Ceres.

Composition of the Ceres

            Now, we here discuss about the composition of the Ceres. According to observation of the Ceres, the core of the ceres is made up of solid rock. The core is surrounded with the Mantle. The Mantle of the Ceres is made up of water ice. The crust of the Ceres is rocky and dusty and the crust has salts deposited on it. The salts are like magnesium sulphate. The surface of the Ceres is covered with the craters, countless craters. But the craters are small and young and not larger than 170 miles in diameter. But the dwarf planet is formed in the asteroid belt and in 4.5 billion years no any big asteroid is Hiten, this is so rare thing. So, after some research by scientists some theories are found. Scientists thinks that the craters may be smoothen out over time due to the layers of ice just below the surface. There is some another lower density material present such as salt present just below the surface. Another theory is that, it is possible that the ice volcanos on the Ceres erased the large craters.

The interior structure of the Ceres.

                The composition of the Ceres is not like the nearby asteroids. But the Ceres is more similar to the inner planets in our solar system i.e. Planet Mercury, Planet Venus, Planet Earth and Planet Mars. But the density of the Ceres is less than that of the inner planets. The similarities between the Ceres and the inner planets are their layered interior. The inner composition of the Ceres is not discovered yet. But the scientists think that the Ceres may have 25 % of water. This percentage is more that the percentage of water on the Earth.

Surface of the Ceres

                The entire surface of the Ceres dwarf planet is remarkably homogeneous on global scale and also the surface is rich in carbonates and ammoniated phyllosilicates that have been altered by water. The water oceans on the Ceres which is existed in the history of the Ceres. The water should have left an ice layer under the surface as in frozen state. According to the evidence found by the scientists, the crust of the Ceres was at least partially destroyed by later impacts of asteroid, because of this the ice mixing with the salts and silicate rich material of the ancient seafloor and the material beneath. The several bright spots have been observed on the surface of the Ceres. The bright spots are caused by a substance on the surface, possibly ice or salts, reflecting sunlight.

The surface of the Ceres.

                Now we discuss about the atmosphere of the dwarf planet Ceres. The observations indicate that the atmosphere is of tenuous water vapor outgassing from the water ice on the surface, this makes the Ceres an active asteroid. The spacecraft Dawn confirmed that the Ceres has a transient atmosphere. This transient atmosphere appears when some solar activities takes place. That means the atmosphere appears to be linked to the solar activity. When energetic particles coming from the sun, hit exposed ice within craters then the ice on Ceres can sublimate.

                The Ceres is described as an “Embryonic Planet”. During the formation of the Ceres, the gravitational force of planet Jupiter prevented the Ceres from becoming the fully formed planet. The Ceres is only one surviving in the inner solar system and the other protoplanets may be either merging to form a terrestrial planet or may be ejected from the solar system because of the gravitational force of the planet Jupiter. The formation of the Ceres is seeming that it is formed most likely between the orbit of the Jupiter and Saturn and because the gravitational force of these planets, the Ceres was scattered into the main asteroid belt. The ammonia salt founded in the “Occator Crater”, this proves that the Ceres originally formed in the outer solar system.

Rotation and Axial tilt of the Ceres

                The day on the Ceres is 9 hours longer that means the Ceres requires 9 hours to complete one rotation around its axis of rotation. There were no any seasonal cycles on the Ceres because the axial tilt is not enough to form a seasonal cycle on it. The axial tilt of the Ceres is only 4^o. This very small or negligible axial tilt permanently shadowed the polar region of the Ceres. These polar regions are expected to act as cold traps and these cold traps accumulate water ice over a time. Likely, the situation on the Earth’s moon and the Mercury planet.

Magnetic field of the Ceres

                We discussed several things about the dwarf planet Ceres. But one question comes in mind is, Does Ceres have magnetic field? The Ceres can produce an induced magnetic field and results to form an induced magnetosphere. This induced magnetosphere is result of the more ice present on and also beneath the surface of the Ceres. But this induced magnetosphere has not stronger so that the Ceres influence any object in the asteroid belt or to produce any geological activities inside. So, the scientists titled the Ceres with on any magnetic field around it.

Orbit of the Ceres

                The orbit of the Ceres was finalized between the orbit of the Jupiter and the Mars. The Ceres was scattered into the main asteroid belt because of the strongest magnetic field of the Jupiter planet. According to the composition which was disclosed by the scientists that the Ceres is not formed in the main asteroid belt. It may be formed in somewhere in outer solar system.

Orbit of the Ceres

                The dwarf planet Ceres requires approximately 1680 Earth days or 4.6 Earth years to complete one orbit around the sun. The Ceres is one of the closest dwarf planets in our solar system. The average orbital speed of the Ceres is nearly 17.9 kilometers per second. The orbit of the Ceres is moderately inclined of 10.5^O compared with plane of solar system. As the position of the Ceres is in the main asteroid belt, the transit of the inner solar system planets occurs. If somehow, we humans managed to go on the Ceres, we can see the transit of our Earth, the first planet Mercury, the hottest planet Venus, and the Red Planet Mars. The Ceres has no any moon orbiting around it.