Dwarf planet (1) Ceres surface bluing due to high porosity resulting from sublimation

The origin of blue ejecta around the fresh craters of dwarf planet Ceres is unknown. Here, the authors show that the blue color results from high porosity of the surface, induced by sublimation of ice-phyllosilicate mixture produced by impacts.

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Stefan E. Schröder, Olivier Poch, Marco Ferrari, Simone De Angelis, Robin Sultana, Sandra M. Potin, Pierre Beck, Maria Cristina De Sanctis, Bernard Schmitt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2021-01-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20494-5