Researchers in two new studies have got some insight into the secrets of Ceres. The data from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has also provided clues about the mysterious bright features found all over the dwarf planet's surface.

In one of the studies, scientists call this bright spots as a kind of salt on the dwarf planet’s surface. The second study shows the presence of ammonia-rich clays on Ceres.

Findings of the studies have raised big questions on how Ceres was actually formed. Study led by Andreas Nathues at Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research showed that Ceres has more than 130 bright areas, and most of them are associated with impact craters.

He wrote that the bright spots on Ceres’ surface are consistent with a type of magnesium sulfate called hexahydrite.

After using the image captured by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, Nathues and his colleagues suggested that these salt-rich areas were left behind when water-ice sublimated in the past.

They now theorise that impacts from asteroids would have unearthed the mixture of ice and salt on Ceres surface.

Nathues said, “The global nature of Ceres' bright spots suggests that this world has a subsurface layer that contains briny water-ice”.

According to researchers, the bright patches found all over on the surface of Ceres represent a large range of brightness, with the brightest areas reflecting about 50% of sunlight shining on the area.