Dwarf Planet Ceres and the Ingredients of Life

The Dawn spacecraft's observations of the dwarf planet Ceres, as detailed by De Sanctis et al. and Prettyman et al., indicated the presence of complex organic molecules and water ice, suggesting that Ceres could potentially support life. The mission, which began orbiting Ceres in 2015, found that the dwarf planet may contain 20 to 30% water ice and has widespread subsurface ice. This discovery, along with similar findings on Mars and several giant planet satellites, enhances our understanding of the origins of water and organic materials on Earth and the possibility of life in the outer solar system.