The Astronomy Thread

Big Phoenix

Big Phoenix

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Ceres_spots_animation_May_4_2015.gif
 
Furry

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Tuco_sl said:
Isn't that just some metallic debris from an asteroid impact?
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There's a lot of asteroid impacts on that asteroid. It should be enough to give you an idea of what a typical asteroid impact looks like.

Could it be an asteroid impact? Possibly. if it is, its a very unusual one.
 
iannis

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Relatively fresh impact that unearthed/deposited highly reflective metal.

I.e. lumies nuklear wessel.
 
Hekotat

Hekotat

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It looked like a pool of water to me in that first shot, now I'm disappointed. Still cool, but not freak me out and cool at the same time.
 
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Szlia_sl said:
Are there official theories?
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There are lots of official theories. There are no official theories strongly indicated by proof. Basically, nasa has said a lot of things it could be, but there's no strongest contender yet.
 
Brad2770

Brad2770

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Keep in mind that Ceres only reflects 10% of the light that it receives, so the images we are looking at are over exposed.
 
Big Phoenix

Big Phoenix

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Probably some chunk of metal from a impact? If it was water wouldnt there be quite a bit more bright features all over?
 
Araxen

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What is crazy is they STILL don't know for sure what those bright spots are. It's probably ice but man the formation of those shapes look like alien outposts if you want to go the conspiracy theorist route. Especially the one that looks like a rectangle. It must be the Reptilians! Only the banned Lumie knows! #FREELUMIE
 
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the likelyhood that its ice or debris from any sort of comet is extremely low. Even that far out, direct exposure to sunlight would be more than sufficient to burn off small debris in short order- never mind you have to explain how it landed in the first place. Basic orbital mechanics make a natural soft landing essentially impossible, and any hard landing would likely obliterate the ice instantly.

Basically, its probably a probe sent by dinosaurs. Nothing else makes sense.
 
I

Itzena_sl

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Big Phoenix_sl said:
Probably some chunk of metal from a impact? If it was water wouldnt there be quite a bit more bright features all over?
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Ceres has an outer layer of crap (dust, fine rocks, etc) over a water-ice ocean over a rocky core. The bright spots are possibly just where it got hit by something big enough to smash the crust and water-ice flooded up then froze.

eT1GSzC.jpg
 
Zindan

Zindan

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Well, we're just going to have to go land something on Ceres and find out for sure what that is!
 
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