Spectral Evolution of Ceres' Surface and Implications for Space Weathering
Abstract
The surface of Ceres exposed to the space environment will be gradually altered, but the evolution of its spectral properties remains poorly understood. Here we analyze visible and infrared spectra acquired by the Dawn mission to investigate spectral variations across different surface units. We identify local shifts of a few nm toward shorter wavelengths in the 2.7 μm band center, predominantly associated with freshly exposed slumping and impact materials. Our analysis suggests that compositional variations in Ceres' regolith are unlikely the explanation for the band center shift, and therefore it may represent a spectral evolution within 106 years. Combining previous studies about the spectral reddening on Ceres, we propose a two-stage spectral evolution on Ceres. The blue-shifted regions are interpreted as the youngest materials. Within 106 years after exposure, these materials become spectrally bluer, the 2.7 μm band weakens, and its center shifts toward longer wavelengths. Then the evolution is characterized by spectral reddening and strengthening of the 2.7 μm band without the band center shift. Based on the previous laboratory work and observations on other C-complex asteroids, we suggest that the observed spectral variations may be attributed to the chemical and/or physical changes of the regolith, possibly associated with space weathering.
Versions
Related
- Protostellar evolution of intermediate-mass stars: Implications for the survival of fossil magnetic fields
- Dynamical evolution and surface accretion of DART impact ejecta in the (65803) Didymos system
- CERES: a cryogenic experiment to reconstruct energy systematics in TeO2 bolometers
- Prospects for Mercury Observations with the BepiColombo Laser Altimeter (BELA): Implications for Estimating Surface Roughness from Laser Altimetry
- Polarimetric Behaviour of (3200) Phaethon: New Observations with Implications for Surface Heterogeneity
BibTeX
@misc{zhang2026spectral,
title = {{Spectral Evolution of Ceres' Surface and Implications for Space Weathering}},
author = {Qing Zhang and Jian-Yang Li and Yazhou Yang and Minge Liu and Yang Liu},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.15158},
eprint = {2609.15158},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.15158},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Spectral Evolution of Ceres' Surface and Implications for Space Weathering
AU - Qing Zhang
AU - Jian-Yang Li
AU - Yazhou Yang
AU - Minge Liu
AU - Yang Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.15158
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.15158
AB - The surface of Ceres exposed to the space environment will be gradually altered, but the evolution of its spectral properties remains poorly understood. Here we analyze visible and infrared spectra acquired by the Dawn mission to investigate spectral variations across different surface units. We identify local shifts of a few nm toward shorter wavelengths in the 2.7 μm band center, predominantly associated with freshly exposed slumping and impact materials. Our analysis suggests that compositional variations in Ceres' regolith are unlikely the explanation for the band center shift, and therefore it may represent a spectral evolution within 10^6 years. Combining previous studies about the spectral reddening on Ceres, we propose a two-stage spectral evolution on Ceres. The blue-shifted regions are interpreted as the youngest materials. Within 10^6 years after exposure, these materials become spectrally bluer, the 2.7 μm band weakens, and its center shifts toward longer wavelengths. Then the evolution is characterized by spectral reddening and strengthening of the 2.7 μm band without the band center shift. Based on the previous laboratory work and observations on other C-complex asteroids, we suggest that the observed spectral variations may be attributed to the chemical and/or physical changes of the regolith, possibly associated with space weathering.
ER -