Occator (crater)

Occator

Occator imaged by Dawn from LAMO. Fractures are associated with the bright spots and some other areas.
Location	Ceres
Coordinates	19°52′N 238°51′E / 19.86°N 238.85°E[1][2]Coordinates: 19°52′N 238°51′E / 19.86°N 238.85°E[1][2]
Diameter	92 kilometres (57 mi)
Depth	4 km
Naming	After Occator, a helper God of Ceres

Occator /ɒˈkeɪtər/ is an impact crater located on Ceres that contains "Spot 5", the brightest of the bright spots observed by the Dawn spacecraft. It was known as "Region A" in ground-based images taken by the W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea.^[3]

The crater was named after Occator, the Roman god of the harrow and a helper to Ceres.^[1][2]

On 9 December 2015, scientists reported that the bright spots on Ceres, including those in Occator crater, may be related to a type of salt, particularly a form of brine containing magnesium sulfate hexahydrite (MgSO₄·6H₂O); the spots were also found to be associated with ammonia-rich clays.^[4] More recently, on 29 June 2016, scientists reported the bright spot to be mostly sodium carbonate (Na
2CO
3), implying that hydrothermal activity was probably involved in creating the bright spots.^[5][6]

The spot in the center of the crater is named Cerealia Facula,^[7] and the group of spots to the east - Vinalia Faculae.^[8]

Views

"Spot 5" in Occator - close-up (enhanced color; LAMO; February 2016)

Center of Occator - context (enhanced color; LAMO; February 2016)

Bright spot may be mostly sodium carbonate (NASA; June 2016).^[5]

• 
  View rendered from
  topographic data
• 
  Topographic map
  (October 2015)
• 
  Occator from HAMO. Composite image, so bright spot is not overexposed.
• 
  Oblique view
  (October 2015)
• 
  Lateral view
  (December 2015)
• 
  False colors
  (December 2015)
• 
  3D-like perspective
  (December 2015)
• 
  Western rim
  (January 2016)
• 
  Southeastern rim
  (January 2016)
• 
  LAMO close-up
  (March 2016)

Animations

Ceres flyover animations

Surface features exaggerated
(simulated; 01:15; 8 June 2015)^[9]

Focus on Occator crater
(false colors; 01:12; 9 December 2015)

Flight over dwarf planet Ceres
(color; 03:43; 29 January 2016)

See also

• List of geological features on Ceres

References

1. Staff (6 July 2015). "Planetary Names: Crater, craters: Occator on Ceres". USGS. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
2. Staff (13 July 2015). "USGS: Ceres nomenclature" (PDF). USGS. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
3. Kupper; et al. (22 January 2014). "PIA17831: Water Detection on Ceres". NASA. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
4. Landau, Elizabeth (9 December 2015). "New Clues to Ceres' Bright Spots and Origins". NASA. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
5. Landau, Elizabeth; Greicius, Tony (29 June 2016). "Recent Hydrothermal Activity May Explain Ceres' Brightest Area". NASA. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
6. De Sanctis, M. C.; Raponi, A.; Ammannito, E.; Ciarniello, M.; Toplis, M. J.; McSween, H. Y.; Castillo-Rogez, J. C.; Ehlmann, B. L.; Carrozzo, F. G.; Marchi, S.; Tosi, F.; Zambon, F.; Capaccioni, F.; Capria, M. T.; Fonte, S.; Formisano, M.; Frigeri, A.; Giardino, M.; Longobardo, A.; Magni, G.; Palomba, E.; McFadden, L. A.; Pieters, C. M.; Jaumann, R.; Schenk, P.; Mugnuolo, R.; Raymond, C. A.; Russell, C. T. (2016-06-29). "Bright carbonate deposits as evidence of aqueous alteration on (1) Ceres". Nature: 1–4. doi:10.1038/nature18290.
7. "Cerealia Facula". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
8. "Vinalia Faculae". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
9. Landau, Elizabeth; Dyches, Preston (8 June 2015). "Fly Over Ceres in New Video". NASA. Retrieved 9 June 2015.