Bright spots on Ceres

The brightest cluster of spots ("Spot 5") is located in an 80-kilometer (50 mi) crater called Occator. The largest and brightest component of the cluster is in the center of the crater, with dimmer spots located towards this crater's eastern rim. Early in the orbital phase of the Dawn mission, the high albedo of these spots was speculated to be due to some kind of outgassing, and subsequent closer images helped scientists determine that it is a material with a high level of reflection, and suggested ice and salt as possibilities. These bright features have an albedo of about 40%, four times brighter than the average of Ceres's surface. Near-infrared spectra of these bright areas are consistent with a large amount of sodium carbonate, (Na
₂CO
₃) and smaller amounts of ammonium chloride (NH
₄Cl) or ammonium bicarbonate (NH
₄HCO
₃). These materials have been suggested to originate from the recent crystallization of brines that reached the surface from below.