Astronomers have discovered water vapor steaming off the mysterious little planetoid Ceres — and the discovery could have fascinating implications for the evolution of our solar system.
more fresh water than on earth
Using the Herschel Space Observatory, Michael Kuppers, a planetary scientist with the European Space Agency, and his team were able to look for
the chemical fingerprint of water molecules. They spotted water
coming off Ceres at a rate of about 13 pounds per second
— and the scientists think there could be so much
ice packed in the dwarf planet's mantle that its
melted contents would add up to more
