Fed2 Star - the newsletter for the space trading game Federation 2

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by ibgames

EARTHDATE: December 13, 2015

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REAL LIFE NEWS: CERES BRIGHT SPOTS EXPLAINED

by Hazed

The first images of Ceres sent back from the Dawn spacecraft showed a surprise: bright spots on the surface. (Click the second source link below to see a picture.) Now, scientists think they know what those spots are.

They are made from magnesium sulphate: more commonly known as Epsom salts. Yes, the stuff you dissolve in your bath water to help soothe muscle aches, or use to draw out splinters.

NASA has announced that the areas rich in salts were left behind when ice water dried up. Then asteroids pierced the surface of the dwarf planet to expose the bright patches.

This means that it’s possible the dwarf planet has a layer of briny water-ice under its surface.

We really are getting some exciting discoveries from the current fleet of space probes.

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/12/10/ceres_salty_history_hints_at_bright_spot_origin/
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151211.html

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