Homonym: Ceres (Agriculture)
Ceres is a dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It is the largest object in this region and was discovered in 1801 by astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi. Ceres has a diameter of about 940 kilometers (584 miles) and is composed mainly of water ice, rock, and various salts.
In 2015, NASA's Dawn spacecraft became the first mission to visit Ceres, providing valuable data about its surface and composition. The spacecraft revealed bright spots on Ceres, which are believed to be deposits of sodium carbonate, indicating the presence of briny water beneath its surface.