Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and it's the only dwarf planet located in the inner solar system. Ceres was the first asteroid discovered, on 1 January 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi at Palermo Astronomical Observatory in Sicily. Originally considered a planet, it was reclassified as an asteroid in the 1850s after the discovery of dozens of other objects in similar orbits.

In 2006, it was reclassified again as a dwarf planet – the only one always inside Neptune's orbit – because, at 940 km (580 mi) in diameter, it is the only asteroid large enough for its gravity to make it plastic and to maintain it as a spheroid. Even though Ceres comprises 25% of the asteroid belt's total mass, Pluto is still 14 times more massive. And when NASA's Dawn arrived in 2015, Ceres became the first dwarf planet to receive a visit from a spacecraft.Dawn found Ceres's surface to be a mixture of water ice and hydrated minerals such as carbonates and clay. Gravity data suggest Ceres to be partially differentiated into a muddy (ice-rock) mantle/core and a less-dense but stronger crust that is at most 30% ice by volume.

Ceres's small size means that any internal ocean of liquid water it may once have possessed has likely frozen by now. It is not completely frozen, however: brines still flow through the outer mantle and reach the surface, allowing cryovolcanoes such as Ahuna Mons to form at the rate of about one every 50 million years. This makes Ceres the closest known cryovolcanic body to the Sun, and the brines provide a potential habitat for microbial life. In January 2014, emissions of water vapor were detected around Ceres, creating a tenuous, transient atmosphere known as an exosphere. This was unexpected because asteroids typically do not emit vapor, a hallmark of comets.

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  • CopsDyingIsGood [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Let's brainstorm a list of events that will constitute the American century of humiliation. I'm thinking it starts with 9/11 and obvious inclusions are Iraq and Afghanistan, but what else ya got?

    • SorosFootSoldier [he/him, they/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Reaching the 1 million covid deaths milestone while Biden announces the new american normal ™️. 2024 when republicans strike back and we get another 4 years of Trump.

      • CopsDyingIsGood [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Botched covid response is a great example. Who knows what damage trump 2 will wreak :sicko-beaming:

        • SorosFootSoldier [he/him, they/them]
          ·
          3 years ago

          It's going to be hilarious and horrifying at the same time. That's if Trump even decides to run though, as I could easily see it being Desantis also which is downright terrifying. The mass Floridazation of the USA into a dying fascist empire.

          • CopsDyingIsGood [he/him]
            ·
            edit-2
            3 years ago

            I can't imagine trump will be able to resist the chance to beat Biden, whom he hates for beating him. He's gonna run, unless he's physically incapable of speaking in public.

            America will become Florida either way though

            • SorosFootSoldier [he/him, they/them]
              ·
              3 years ago

              Trump flirts with fascism but Desantis strikes me as a true believer along with Tucker, both are pretty dangerous at the helm of this collapsing shitshow lashing out.

    • SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him]
      ·
      edit-2
      3 years ago

      War in Iran probably by 2030 in an attempt to cobble together some national unity as conditions continue to decline - Iran is sufficiently prepared to form a serious opposition and tens of thousands of American troops die for no particular gains. United States does the typical thing of setting goals and then claiming that they met those goals and so won the war and then withdraws, but except among already ideologically committed liberals/conservatives (depending on who's in power when the war begins), it all falls short.

      Closure of many military bases in many countries as time goes by. As much deflection as possible as to why those bases were there in the first place and why the people there seem happy about it. Interviews with disgruntled "citizens" who strangely have American accents.

      Unification of South American countries under a socialist banner spearheaded by China when Bolsonaro is outed, in clear opposition of the neo-Monroe Doctrine. Cuba, Venezuela etc still under American sanctions but are now able to get the resources they need from China's network, making the "but castro maduro dictator venezuela no food communism?!?!" argument have no legs to stand on (but Americans will still do it).

      Covid deaths are normalized, but long covid gets more and more prevalent in western countries but particularly the United States, which increasingly wreaks havoc on an already collapsing healthcare system. Life expectancies drop for a century, and declines in hospital service have knock-on effects for infant mortality and general treatment of illnesses and accidents.

      America, for the first time, struggles to attract immigrants as conditions deteriorate there and improve in developing countries. This exacerbates an aging population crisis.

    • SoyViking [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago
      • Catastrophic power grid failure causes thousands of deaths and creates a humanitarian crises. While the federal government is unable to do anything, millions of Americans are helped by Chinese aid and Cuban doctors.
      • The deteriorating material conditions for the working class pushes desperate impoverished Americans to seek a better future abroad. America-towns pop up all over the world.
      • In rural areas militias take control over local government. This evolves into a situation where warlords rule most of the country.
      • LoudMuffin [he/him]
        ·
        edit-2
        3 years ago

        In rural areas militias take control over local government. This evolves into a situation where warlords rule most of the country.

        this is already happening in California

        Shasta County's entire political board is about to be composed of unironic ex mercenaries, QBoomers and Nazis