Stellar Insights

Vesta, the second largest object in the asteroid belt, is one of the most scientifically important asteroids providing insights about our solar system. Vesta was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 29, 1807, in Bremen, Germany. It is a protoplanet, which formed about 4.56 billion years ago, just a few million years after the birth of the solar system. It is located in the main belt at a distance of 2.36 AU from the Sun and has a rotation period of 5.34 hours and an orbital period of 3.63 Earth years. Unlike Ceres, Vesta is not nearly spherical; it is somewhat oblate, possibly due to some past impacts with other bodies. But it is still well differentiated and large—about 530 km—to be called a protoplanet. When Vesta was still forming, Jupiter had already formed, and its strong gravitational force disrupted the other asteroids of the main belt, causing collisions with Vesta and inhibiting its growth into a planet. But while it was growing, it formed a metallic iron-nickel core...