Blog

Dec 13, 2024

Dwarf planet Ceres could be rich in organics, defunct spacecraft data reveals

Posted by in categories: biological, space

These findings dispute the former theory, suggesting the organic materials come from within the dwarf planet or are “endogenous.”

“The significance of this discovery lies in the fact that, if these are endogenous materials, it would confirm the existence of internal energy sources that could support biological processes,” team leader and Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía researcher Juan Luis Rizos said in a statement.

To investigate the organic compounds found on Ceres, the team used a new approach that examined the dwarf planet’s surface and the distribution of organic matter at the highest possible resolution.

Leave a reply