An Unusual Mountain on Asteroid Ceres

 

What created this large mountain on asteroid Ceres? No one is yet sure. The exceptional mountain rises about five kilometers up from an area that otherwise appears pretty level. Although origin hypotheses for the mountain include volcanism, impacts, and plate tectonics, clear evidence backing any of these is currently lacking. Also visible across Ceres' surface are some enigmatic light areas: bright spots whose origin and composition that also remain an active topic of investigation.

Even though Dawn is expected to continue to orbit Ceres, officially dubbed a dwarf planet, for millions of years, the hydrazine fuel used to point Dawn's communications antenna toward Earth is expected to run out sometime next year.

Image via APOD
Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, UCLA, MPS/DLR/IDA