Description |
Herschel observations of the large asteroid Ceres led to a major discovery, namely the first detection of an exosphere made of water vapour around an asteroid. The first detection occurred on 11 October, 2012, and was confirmed from HIFI observations conducted on 24th October and 6 March 2013 (guaranteed time program MACH 11, PI L. O.Rourke, and follow up from a DDT, PI M. Kueppers). |