The bright central area of Ceres' Occator Crater, known as Cerealia Facula, is approximately 30 million years younger than the crater in which it lies, according to a new that used data from our Dawn spacecraft to analyze Occator's central dome in detail, concluding that this intriguing bright feature on the dwarf planet is only about 4 million years old -- quite recent in terms of geological history. The new study supports earlier interpretations from the Dawn team that this reflective material -- comprising the brightest area on all of Ceres -- is made of carbonate salts, although it did not confirm a particular type of carbonate previously identified. The secondary, smaller bright areas of Occator, called Vinalia Faculae, are comprised of a mixture of carbonates and dark material The bright spots in the center of Occator Crater on Ceres are shown in enhanced color in this view from Dawn. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI/LPI #nasa #dawn #ceres #space #planet #nasabey...