The Cerealia Facula (center) and Vinalia Faculae (right) in the floor of Occator crater, shown in enhanced color. The view was produced by combining the highest resolution images of Occator obtained in February 2016 (at image scales of 35 meters per pixel) with color images obtained in September 2015 (at image scales of 135 meters per pixel). Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI/LPI.

The Dawn mission has collected a wealth of data about the dwarf planet Ceres with its Framing Camera, Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector and gravity science investigation. Occator crater is one of the most intriguing locations on Ceres as observed by Dawn, and it contains distinctive bright regions called the Cerealia Facula and Vinalia Faculae. Our understanding of the formation and evolution of Occator crater, in particular the Cerealia and Vinalia Faculae, is currently under investigation. We hereby call for submissions of papers to a special issue on the “The Formation and Evolution of Ceres’ Occator Crater”. These papers will focus on interpretations and explanations of the processes that formed Occator crater, and may also discuss the resulting implications for our understanding of Ceres’ formation and evolution. We envisage that the majority of submissions will base their investigations on Dawn data. However, submissions relevant to Occator crater that are based on a wide range of datasets and techniques are welcome. For further details see: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/icarus/call-for-papers/call-for-papers-on-occator-crater-on-ceres