Unraveling the Origins of Organics on Ceres through Hypervelocity Impact Experiments
New research using hypervelocity impact experiments and data from the Dawn spacecraft sheds light on the origin and distribution of aliphatic organics on the dwarf planet Ceres. The experiments simulated impact conditions on Ceres, revealing that the organics are resilient to impacts and may be more widespread than previously thought. The analysis of the data suggests that the organics likely formed on Ceres in the presence of water, increasing the astrobiological potential of the dwarf planet. The findings also have implications for understanding the distribution of organics in the outer solar system and may inform future missions to Ceres.