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[MrGreencastle]

As long as we don't land on Europa I think we'll all be fine.

"ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS—EXCEPT EUROPA
ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE"

 

[Koomaster]

Did anyone ever stop to think that this 'pyramid' was originally a celestial body and aliens built Ceres around it?!

Don't let the gov't tell you otherwise!

 

[ArchedThunder]

Clearly Ceres is actually a Mass Effect Relay.

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

This is happening sooner than the scrolls prophesize.

I must go. I thought we had more time.

 

[Arkeband]

Other photos of it show that it's not even remotely pyramidal.

It looks like a mound. It's a tall mound, but it's a mound, nonetheless.

 

[Wyndstryker]

Thats just the tip of a giant alien battleship just waiting to be awakened and kill us all.

 

[Ryan242004]

Well it will get three times closer in a month, looking forward to more pictures. Very interesting pictures though.

 

[Gurgelhals]

But... I though that the pyramid was on Mars:

 

[xbhaskarx]

From Wikipedia:

"Pyramid-shaped mountain", estimated to be about 5 km (3.1 mi; 16,000 ft) high.[69] Imaged by Dawn from 4,400 km (2,700 mi) on 6 June 2015.

Is that really what we're calling a "pyramid" now?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid-shaped_mountain_on_Ceres

 

[ThusZarathustra]

Shameful. Both the OP and Gawker.

 

[cirrhosis]

That's definitely an arcology and I should know from all of the speculative fiction I've read over the years.

 

[Eyeh4wk]

"...If you don’t think that’s big news, fuck off."

Okay, then.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

It's probably just the remains of an elder god. There normally ends up being some sort of boring everyday explanation like that.

 

[EloquentM]

It looks like a mountain. Why is this a big deal?

When do mountains come without a range?

 

[backflip10019]

From Wikipedia:

"Pyramid-shaped mountain", estimated to be about 5 km (3.1 mi; 16,000 ft) high.[69] Imaged by Dawn from 4,400 km (2,700 mi) on 6 June 2015.

Is that really what we're calling a "pyramid" now?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid-shaped_mountain_on_Ceres

What if it's a giant worm burrowing out of the ground?

 

[dbztrk]

I don't think it is a pyramid. I think it is elevated land that looks like a pyramid.

 

[Veritigo_X]

Other photos of it show that it's not even remotely pyramidal.

It looks like a mound. It's a tall mound, but it's a mound, nonetheless.

A burial mound maybe?

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Other photos of it show that it's not even remotely pyramidal.

It looks like a mound. It's a tall mound, but it's a mound, nonetheless.

Am I the only one who sees Elmo?

 

[besada]

So is NASA claiming Ceres has water?

Ceres is made of rock and ice, and a large part of the ice is likely water.

 

[komplanen]

People who want it to be a pyramid see a pyramid. Everyone not delusional sees a mound.

 

[Timeaisis]

Okay, then.

Yeah, the gawker reporting style is getting a little tiresome.

 

[catapult37]

Ugh, link directly to the source and skip the gawker nonsense: http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ceres-pyramid-bright-spots-dawn-nasa-dwarf-planet-20150626-story.html

 

[jufonuk]

it's either ice and a formation that looks like a pyramid..

or Aliens

 

[Hoodbury]

When do mountains come without a range?

A free-standing mountain is a stand-alone mountain, i.e its not a part of any mountain range. They are generally volcanic mountains. Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa - the highest free-standing mountain of the world.

 

[theusedversion]

Ugh, link directly to the source and skip the gawker nonsense: http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ceres-pyramid-bright-spots-dawn-nasa-dwarf-planet-20150626-story.html

It's posted two times on the first page.

Plus I got the gif from Gawker.

 

[cacildo]

Its never aliens

 

[kamakazi5]

Its never aliens

If you really think about it's always aliens.

 

[xbhaskarx]

When do mountains come without a range?

Olympus Mons on Mars is the biggest mountain in the solar system, is it part of a mountain range?

 

[Lulubop]

Wow this is real.

 

[theepicoftyler]

When do mountains come without a range?

Volcanoes.

Also, pingos are what the scientist in the original article is talking about as a potential analogue.

Quick and easy, Yosemite (Half Dome, El Capitan) are exposed laccolithic bodies (solidified magma body; granite). A pingo is a hydrolaccolith, or a giant chunk of ice.

 

[thesuperfunk]

I'm not seeing any Pyramid there either. :|

 

[Verger]

Fuck Gawker.

What utter bullshit. Seriously. It's like they print whatever trash there is. Worse than tabloids IMO

 

[foxtrot3d]

Is such a thing possible?

 

[Tesseract]

that's a space testicle

 

[_woLf]

Volcanoes.

Also, pingos are what the scientist in the original article is talking about as a potential analogue.

Quick and easy, Yosemite (Half Dome, El Capitan) are exposed laccolithic bodies (solidified magma body; granite). A pingo is a hydrolaccolith, or a giant chunk of ice.

But Ceres doesn't have tectonic activity (does it even have a molten core?) so the chances of it being a volcano are slim to none, no?

 

[Akyan]

Volcanoes.

Quick and easy, Yosemite (Half Dome, El Capitan) are exposed laccolithic bodies (solidified magma body; granite). A pingo is a hydrolaccolith, or a giant chunk of ice.

 

[M3d10n]

For the love of deity please be a massive diamond. Let the new space race begin!

Imagine if it turns out Ceres is just one large diamond covered in dust.

 

[EloquentM]

A free-standing mountain is a stand-alone mountain, i.e its not a part of any mountain range. They are generally volcanic mountains. Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa - the highest free-standing mountain of the world.

Ceres is made of rock and ice. Is there any tectonic activity going on?

Spoiler

its a pyramid
#teamspaceegyptians

 

[theepicoftyler]

But Ceres doesn't have tectonic activity (does it even have a molten core?) so the chances of it being a volcano are slim to none, no?

I answered the first broad question, and then provided information on the more reasonable hypothesis. The ball of ice might just have a chunk of ice on it.

 

[XenodudeX]

Ceres is made of rock and ice. Is there any tectonic activity going on?

Spoiler

its a pyramid
#teamspaceegyptians

Fine. It's an Ice Volcano then.

 

[M3d10n]

Ceres is made of rock and ice. Is there any tectonic activity going on?

Spoiler

its a pyramid
#teamspaceegyptians

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryovolcano

 

[EloquentM]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryovolcano

I thought you were just an easy going programmer. Now you must steal my dreams of a space pyramid from me. Blasphemous.

 

[MidgarBlowedUp]

NASA said they're baffled?

Ted Cruz runs NASA now.

 

[Anoregon]

Imagine if it turns out Ceres is just one large diamond covered in dust.

Debeers would just blow it up. Gotta maintain that artificial scarcity.

 

[a secret-boss]

It's a zit
Ceres just hit puberty

 

[EBE]

swamp gas.

 

[Sectorseven]

Is this satellite ever going to take like, good quality pictures?

 

[Walpurgis]

Am I the only one who sees Elmo?

No.

 

[davepoobond]

I have trained for this.

welcome back... commander

 

[DragonSworne]

From Wikipedia:

"Pyramid-shaped mountain", estimated to be about 5 km (3.1 mi; 16,000 ft) high.[69] Imaged by Dawn from 4,400 km (2,700 mi) on 6 June 2015.

Is that really what we're calling a "pyramid" now?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid-shaped_mountain_on_Ceres

NASA altered the image. I can still see some of the bubbles they missed.