An alternate explanation that fits the evidence is that Vesta was once part of a planet – but which planet that might been remains a mystery.

On Friday, May 2 the asteroid Vesta will reach opposition, marking the ideal period to spot the second largest asteroid orbiting in the rocky belt of debris located between Mars and Jupiter.

An unmanned NASA probe made history 117 million miles from Earth on Saturday (July 16) when it arrived at the huge asteroid Vesta, making it the first spacecraft ever to orbit an object in the ...

The giant asteroid Vesta got clobbered not once but twice, and it has the scars to prove it. Ever since the Hubble Space Telescope spied a huge depression in the asteroid's south pole, scientists ...

The debate over whether the giant asteroid Vesta has a moon could soon be decided. NASA's Dawn spacecraft will go into orbit in mid-July, when it will take the best-ever photographs of the big rock.

Gabadirwe is now the curator of the Motopi Pan meteorite. The asteroid’s path was traced back to Vesta, the second-largest asteroid in our solar system. It’s “the only one bright enough to ...

The large asteroid Vesta is a true relic of our Solar System's early history. Thanks to the recent detailed study by the Dawn spacecraft, we know it's an intact protoplanet, the type of object ...

It’s a 3D printing of the asteroid Vesta — a piece which is the Field Museum’s newly classified meteorite, or a fallen space rock. Vesta is the brightest and the second largest in the ...

The giant asteroid Vesta may contain a vast supply of water ice, a supply that has sat frozen for billions of years, a new study reveals. The surface of Vesta — the second-largest object in the ...

Vesta won't reach opposition with Earth again until Oct. 13, 2026. On Friday, May 2 the asteroid Vesta will reach opposition, marking the ideal period to spot the second largest asteroid orbiting ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An image of Vesta captured as NASA's Dawn spacecraft retreated from the asteroid in 2012.