Ceres is the
smallest identified dwarf planet in the Solar System and the only
one in the asteroid belt. It was discovered on January 1, 1801, by
Giuseppe Piazzi, and is named after the Roman goddess Ceres — the
goddess of growing plants, the harvest, and motherly love. With a
diameter of about 950 km, Ceres is by far the largest and most
massive body in the asteroid belt, and contains a third (32%) of
the belt's total mass. Recent observations have revealed that it is
spherical, unlike the irregular shapes of smaller bodies with lower
gravity. The surface of Ceres is probably made of a mixture of
water ice and various hydrated minerals like carbonates and clays.
Ceres appears to be differentiated into a rocky core and ice
mantle. It may harbour an ocean of liquid water underneath its
surface, which makes it a potential target in the search for
extraterrestrial life.
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Ceres
on date 25 May 2009.