So today we thought we would discuss a legend, an icon, and a figure of great historical importance. Nope, we’re not talking about Napoleon, Aristotle, or Hitler. In fact, we’re not even talking about a person at all; we’re actually talking about an asteroid! Specifically, we’re talking about Ceres, the first asteroid ever discovered, which was found in 1801.
The discovery was made after the search for a missing planet between Mars and Jupiter, and it has had a profound impact on what we know about celestial objects. In fact, for a time, some people considered Ceres to be a planet, but, this happened a lot, and after 50 years of classifications, it was decided that some, including Ceres, should be reclassified as asteroids. Here are a few of the little-known facts about Ceres.
It’s pretty huge
Interestingly, Ceres actually accounts for around one-third of the entire asteroid belt – it’s the largest object there by quite some margin. Its radius is almost 296 miles, and there is actually enough oxygen that you could walk around on it if you wanted to visit! There is no atmosphere here though, so you’re not likely to get a particularly good view. Picture the asteroid they land on in the Empire Strikes Back, that’s the kinda thing we’re talking about.
It’s a hybrid
One of the most interesting things about Ceres is that it’s like a hybrid between a planet and an asteroid. It also has a pretty diverse structure and makeup, and has areas that are similar to Mars, but, also, to Saturn as well. So you can expect a mixture of rocky and icy, and everything in between. There are so many different things the planet has to offer, and that’s what makes it so interesting, its makeup is unlike any other.
There might be a possibility of life
Ceres is a fascinating place from an astrobiological makeup. We might not be able to live there, but there are indicators that the asteroid could become habitable in the distant future. For instance, the mixture of rock, water, and organics is essential for the development of life. Of course, this warrants further study in order that we are able to understand it better. This is why there are so many missions planned to find out more about it.
It could become a mining town
In the distant future, human expansion will probably have grown, and we will have evolved to make use of our Solar System more. Indeed, Ceres could well be the key to providing us with a possible mining colony in the future. This will actually help us to preserve more of the Earth’s natural resources and will help us discover more about Ceres.
Ceres is an intriguing and remarkable asteroid and one that can help us learn a lot about the future. There are so many great things we need to understand about the Solar System, and how we might be able to use it in the future. These are some of the little-known facts about Ceres that reveal unexpected things about this asteroid.
