Why it matters

Occator shows why Other Worlds matters: small bodies offer a very different geological drama.

What happenedA Ceres crater with bright salt deposits that became one of the symbols of the Dawn mission.
Why it mattersOccator shows why Other Worlds matters: small bodies offer a very different geological drama.
How scientists knowNASA Image and Video Library; Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Measurements and uncertainty

Diameter92 km
Depthnot listed
Ageyoung for Ceres
StatusConfirmed
Coordinates19.800° N / 120.700° W
Record levelextended

Extended record: core parameters have an editorial baseline, while age, depth, and preservation still require primary-source review.

Scientific profile

Bright spots are linked to salts and possible late activity, complicating the idea of a crater as a passive bowl.

Data provenanceNASA Image and Video Library; Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Reconstruction gallery

More visual readings of the crater

If verified imagery is not enough, the profile receives a scientific reconstruction: not fantasy in place of fact, but a visual hypothesis clearly separated from sources.

World paletteicy turquoise, deep space, and distant moons
Occator's bright deposits became one of Ceres's main visual puzzles.
Current visual previewBase plate: source image, satellite material, or editorial plate where visual reading begins.
Reverse reconstructionmoving from the present trace back to the impact event
Chronological inversionreading the object from future state back through earlier layers
The present as an archive of the futuretreating today's profile as evidence for future analysis

Visual reconstruction

Reverse reconstruction → Chronological inversion → Bidirectional analysis → The present as an archive of the future

Every profile needs a visualization preview: an existing image, an aesthetically treated source, or a scientific reconstruction.

Reverse reconstructionmoving from the present trace back to the impact event
Chronological inversionreading the object from future state back through earlier layers
Bidirectional analysischecking past-to-present and present-to-past interpretations
The present as an archive of the futuretreating today's profile as evidence for future analysis

Research history

Dawn studied the crater in detail, turning Ceres from a distant dot into a geological world.

Sources

CSVJSONOccator. Crater.world record. Last reviewed 2026-05-08.
Last reviewed
2026-05-08
Source baseline
NASA Image and Video Library; Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature
Uncertainty note
Extended record: core parameters have an editorial baseline, while age, depth, and preservation still require primary-source review.
NASA Image and Video LibraryNASAGazetteer of Planetary NomenclatureInternational Astronomical Union / USGS

Education mode

Facts

  • The bright Cerealia Facula lies inside the crater.
  • The feature connects to volatile materials on small bodies.
Glossaryejecta, impact melt, breccia, central peak, erosion
Classroom questionWhich evidence separates an impact crater from a volcanic caldera?
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