Strange light patches on dwarf planet Ceres have scientists perplexed

[n2doc]

A dwarf planet is shining two bright lights at a NASA spacecraft right now, and our smartest scientists are unsure what they are.

As bizarre as that sentence sounds, that's the situation with Ceres — the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, officially designated as a dwarf planet (the same category as Pluto).

NASA's Dawn spacecraft is approaching Ceres ahead of a March 6 rendezvous. The picture above was taken February 19, from a distance of just under 29,000 miles, and shows two very shiny areas on the same basin on Ceres' surface.

Previous Dawn images from further away showed a single light on Ceres, which was just as mysterious. Then, to the amazement of every astronomy geek, the one light turned out to be two — reflecting roughly 40% of the light hitting them.

more

http://mashable.com/2015/02/25/strange-lights-dwarf-planet-ceres/

[tridim]

1. Why can't they do spectral analysis?

Seems like a no-brainer.

[progressoid]

2. hmmmm....

[ret5hd]

3. DAMMIT! Which of you kids left the door open???

[misterhighwasted]

4. I believe the light is a portal to the vast City within the

..protective outer shell we call Ceres.
Another world thrives within.
Be cool if it were so.

[n2doc]

5. Just don't push that crater

probably the power button for the whole damn solar system.

[Warpy]

6. Ceres lives in a bad hood

meaning in the middle of the asteroid belt. Likely it got popped by a couple of the rocks, or maybe one rock that split just before it hit.

Be neat if the fifth planet started to re form, Jupiter be damned!

[LongTomH]

7. They may turn out to be frozen lakes!

Astronomers think Ceres is rich in water – as much as one-third of Ceres might be water – and may have a thin atmosphere. Bright, white spots on its surface might even be large frozen lakes. Ceres may, in fact, have as much fresh water as Earth, have Earth-like polar caps, and might even have a sub-surface liquid ocean layer, like Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

http://www.iflscience.com/space/nasa-missions-may-re-elevate-pluto-and-ceres-dwarf-planets-full-planet-status

[ProdigalJunkMail]

8. interdimemsional portal...

i mean, what else could it be?

sP

[jakeXT]

9. yep, that's not a moon

[lastlib]

10. My God! It's full of stars!!

[pipoman]

11. it is actually the sun of another tiny solar system shining through...

Proving Dr. Seuss a visionary in the creation of Horton hears a who...

[Silent3]

12. How did this not get posted here yet?

It's pretty much obligatory at this point.

[Ichingcarpenter]

13. It's never something cool like a crashed alien starship

. It's always something boring like frozen water...for my vodka