There is evidence that Ceres's icy mantle was once a watery subterranean ocean, and there are hints that this liquid may remain even today. (science.sciencemag.org)
The missing chunk could be due to a giant impact, smashing away part of KBO's icy mantle, or it could mean Quaoar is actually a «contact binary,» consisting of two more - or-less spherical bodies that touch each other. (sciencemag.org)
«We're not sure whether these stars are holding onto reservoirs of gas much longer than expected, or whether there's a sort of «last gasp» of second - generation gas produced by collisions of comets or evaporation from the icy mantles of dust grains,» said Meredith Hughes, an astronomer at Wesleyan University and coauthor of the study. (sciencedaily.com)