Dwarf planet 'Ceres' found to retain more water than earth

By Ko Dong-hwan

A new astronomic finding confirmed dwarf planet “Ceres” is the first planet from the asteroid belt containing more water than what’s reserved on earth, Discovery News said Thursday.

Astronomers of the European Space Agency (ESA) verified signs of water vapor from the planet’s stratosphere. They argued the signs indicate the land down below is covered with water ice that contains more water than that on earth.

The source cited Michael Kuppers of the ESA, who said Ceres is the first case sighted from the asteroid belt that emits water vapor.

The discovery was made as the astronomers analyzed data from the Herschel infrared space observatory, which is now defunct.

The source said more details regarding Ceres are to come as American spaceship Dawn is currently on its course towards the planet.

Dawn, scheduled to arrive in the Ceres orbit in February 2015, will map the planet’s geology and chemistry of its surface. The expedition will ultimately reveal how it shoots up the water vapor and formed the ice.

Ceres was first discovered in 1801 by Italian priest, mathematician and astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi.

Its status was promoted from asteroid to dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006 on the ground it was the biggest of all the asteroids in the belt.

The planet, lying between Mars and Jupiter, is 950 kilometers in diameter.

The finding was introduced in the journal Nature on Wednesday.