Ceres

The dwarf planet Ceres was discovered on January 1, 1801, as the first of many objects that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter in a region known as the main asteroid belt. Its discovery was aided by the fact that it is the largest body in this area. With a diameter of approximately 950 kilometers, Ceres has enough mass for its own gravity to shape it into a nearly spherical form. This characteristic is one of the reasons why Ceres is classified as a dwarf planet rather than an asteroid. The interior of Ceres consists of a solid rocky core, likely surrounded by a partially liquid mantle composed of water, water ice, and stone dust. Its surface is covered by a relatively thin crust of rock, varying in thickness from tens of centimeters to a few meters. The crust is marked by numerous impact craters. In certain areas, the surface features striking bright spots, which may be the result of temporary outflows of liquid water from Ceres' interior to its surface.