ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Space → Astronomy

Alien pyramid on Ceres? More like bad media on Earth

The whole media is abuzz after NASA released some pictures of the dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. But while it's somewhat expected for pseudoscientists and alien fanatics went crazy after they spotted what appears to be a huge pyramid-shaped mountain, I was expecting more from the mainstream media. I know, right?

Dragos MitricabyDragos Mitrica
June 26, 2015
in Astronomy, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

Astronomers map over 100 million galaxies to crack dark matter and dark energy puzzle
Drones to offer faster, cheaper monitoring of Antarctica’s ecosystems
GeoPicture of the week: The underwater illusion from the Mauritius island
DeepMind AI cracks the structure of over 200 million proteins. That’s virtually all proteins known to science

The whole media is abuzz after NASA released some pictures of the dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. But while it’s somewhat expected for pseudoscientists and alien fanatics to go crazy after they spotted what appears to be a huge pyramid-shaped mountain, I was expecting more from the mainstream media. I know, right?

The photograph was captured June 6 from a 2,700-mile distance above the dwarf planet’s floor by NASA’s Dawn orbiter, revealing a 5 kilometer (3 mile) high mountain. In its typical rational fashion, NASA didn’t jump to any conclusions.

“The surface of Ceres has revealed many interesting and unique features. For example, icy moons in the outer solar system have craters with central pits, but on Ceres central pits in large craters are much more common. These and other features will allow us to understand the inner structure of Ceres that we cannot sense directly,” NASA quoted Carol Raymond, deputy principal investigator for the Dawn mission, based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, as saying.

As a matter of fact, researchers actually speculated that the “pyramid mountain” may be caused by by extremely reflective salt deposits. Salt is generally less dense than surrounding rock, so in geological periods, it tends to rise to the surface, pushing upwards on the other rocks. Other possibilities include ice sheets, volcanic activity, or water steams from beneath the floor. Either way, there are several perfectly logical geological explanations – not aliens. Funnily enough, according to an Express UK report, conspiracy theorists have provided “conclusive proof” of a highly developed alien civilization that inhabits the 600 mile diameter dwarf planet. Sure…

Now, some real science: the robotic NASA spacecraft Dawn entered orbit around Ceres on 6 March 2015. Its goal is to study the dwarf planet in unprecedented detail and among others, to see if it has any liquid water. The ubiquitous features in Ceres’s IR spectrum are those of hydrated materials, which indicate the presence of significant amounts of water in its interior. Other possible surface constituents include iron-rich clay minerals or carbonate minerals, which are common in some asteroids. Dawn revealed a large number of craters with low relief, indicating that they lie over a relatively soft surface, probably of water ice. One crater, with extremely low relief, is 270 km (170 mi) in diameter. Dawn has also identified some rather intriguing bright spots on Ceres.

 

ShareTweetShare
Dragos Mitrica

Dragos Mitrica

Dragos has been working in geology for six years, and loving every minute of it. Now, his more recent focus is on paleoclimate and climatic evolution, though in his spare time, he also dedicates a lot of time to chaos theory and complex systems.

Related Posts

Health

Your gut has a secret weapon against ‘forever chemicals’: microbes

byMihai Andrei
3 hours ago
News

High IQ People Are Strikingly Better at Forecasting the Future

byTibi Puiu
3 hours ago
Health

Newborns Feel Pain Long Before They Can Understand It

byTudor Tarita
4 hours ago
News

Cheese Before Bed Might Actually Be Giving You Nightmares

byTudor Tarita
4 hours ago

Recent news

Your gut has a secret weapon against ‘forever chemicals’: microbes

July 3, 2025

High IQ People Are Strikingly Better at Forecasting the Future

July 3, 2025

Newborns Feel Pain Long Before They Can Understand It

July 3, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.