Scientists have made a major discovery about the most important dwarf planet you’ve never heard of

One of the Earth’s closest neighbors has just gotten a bit more interesting.

In a series of new studies, scientists analyzing data from NASA’s Dawn mission report that Ceres, a dwarf planet floating in the asteroid belt, remains geologically active—with evidence of an active ice volcano, frozen water on the surface, and a variety of other geological processes.

Watch the video above to see why scientists are so excited about the new discoveries—and what they are planning for future missions to the world, just 250 million miles from the sun.