Ceres: The Dwarf Planet of the Asteroid Belt

Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, about 590 miles wide.
It was the first dwarf planet ever discovered, spotted in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi.
Ceres makes up roughly one-third of the asteroid belt’s total mass.
Its surface shows bright salt deposits, especially in Occator Crater.
Scientists believe Ceres may have a layer of salty liquid water deep underground.
Unlike rocky asteroids, Ceres is spherical, shaped by its own gravity.
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft orbited Ceres from 2015 to 2018, mapping it in detail.
Some researchers think Ceres could host microbial life in its subsurface ocean.
The name Ceres comes from the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility.
Its thin, temporary atmosphere sometimes forms from water vapor released by ice.