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Ceres is saturated with impact craters.Many have a central pit or bright spot. In the first batch of 17 names approved by the IAU, craters north of 20° north latitude had names beginning with A–G (with Asari being the furthest north), those between 20° north and south latitude beginning with H–R, and those further south beginning with S–Z (with Zadeni being the furthest south).
The presence of liquid water has astrobiological significance as any extant water may provide a habitat for life. Ceres orbits the Sun at a mean distance of 2.77 astronomical units (AU), near the center of the asteroid belt. It receives only 15% of the solar energy as Earth and has a maximum daytime temperature at the equator of 243 K (−30 °C).
Like most 70-150 km wide Ceresian impact craters, Occator has a central depression rather than a central peak, with its original central peak having collapsed into 9–10 km wide depression, ~1 km deeper than the crater floor. [17] [16] Data indicates that magnesium sulfide (MgS) deposits were in place after the central peak's uplift and collapse.
Less than ten thousand years old, and with a diameter of 100 m (330 ft) or more. The EID lists fewer than ten such craters, and the largest in the last 100,000 years (100 ka) is the 4.5 km (2.8 mi) Rio Cuarto crater in Argentina. [2]
An impact crater is a depression in the surface of a solid astronomical body formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, [2] impact craters typically have raised rims and floors that are lower in elevation than the surrounding terrain. [3]
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“You know, nine times out of 10 they’re not [craters].” But the team is still hopeful enough this is that 10 percent that it wants to head there in person to see if they can confirm the find .
As with many craters on Ceres, Haulani has been extensively modified by mass wasting processes, with landslide deposits from the crater rim covering parts of its floor. It is one of the youngest large craters on Ceres, estimated to have been formed between 1.7 and 5.9 million years ago. As a result, it is one of Ceres's brightest surface features.