Occator (crater)
 Occator imaged by Dawn. A composite image, so the central bright spot is not overexposed. | |
| Location | Ceres |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 19°52′N 238°51′E / 19.86°N 238.85°E[1][2]Coordinates: 19°52′N 238°51′E / 19.86°N 238.85°E[1][2] |
| Diameter | 92 kilometres (57 mi) |
| Depth | 4 km |
| Naming | After Occator, a helper God of Ceres |
Further information: Bright spots on Ceres § Spot 5
Occator /ɒˈkeɪtər/ is an impact crater located on Ceres that contains "Spot 5", the brightest of the bright spots observed by the Dawn spacecraft. It was known as "Region A" in ground-based images taken by the W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea.[3]
The crater was named after Occator, the Roman god of the harrow and a helper to Ceres.[1][2]
On 9 December 2015, scientists reported that the bright spots on Ceres, including those in Occator crater, may be related to a type of salt, particularly a form of brine containing magnesium sulfate hexahydrite (MgSO4·6H2O); the spots were also found to be associated with ammonia-rich clays.[4]
Views
-
Topological data
rendered view -
Topographic map
(October 2015) -
Oblique view
(October 2015) -
Lateral view
(December 2015) -
False colors
(December 2015) -
3D-like perspective
(December 2015) -
Western rim
close-up view
(January 2016)
Animations
Ceres flyover animations
(simulated; 01:15; 8 June 2015)[5]
(false colors; 01:12; 9 December 2015)
(color; 03:43; 29 January 2016)
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Staff (6 July 2015). "Planetary Names: Crater, craters: Occator on Ceres". USGS. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- 1 2 3 Staff (13 July 2015). "USGS: Ceres nomenclature" (PDF). USGS. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ↑ Kupper; et al. (22 January 2014). "PIA17831: Water Detection on Ceres". NASA. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ↑ Landau, Elizabeth (9 December 2015). "New Clues to Ceres' Bright Spots and Origins". NASA. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- ↑ Landau, Elizabeth; Dyches, Preston (8 June 2015). "Fly Over Ceres in New Video". NASA. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
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