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 ...

Asteroid Vesta, once thought to be a protoplanet that had been left behind in its formation, is now the subject of a groundbreaking investigation of what may be a remnant of a far larger planet that ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. For decades, scientists thought that Vesta was a protoplanet rather than an asteroid. NASA's Dawn ...

For years, astronomers treated Vesta as more than just an asteroid. With its rocky surface, distinct layers, and volcanic history, it seemed to be a miniature version of Earth—something between a rock ...

Asteroid Vesta is currently the second largest asteroid in the solar system, having been studied in-depth by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft between July 2011 and September 2012. But a recent study published ...

The correlation between gravity and gravity from shape, and effective density. Credit: Nature Astronomy (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02533-7 For decades, scientists believed Vesta, one of the ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. – For decades, scientists believed Vesta, one of the largest objects in our solar system’s asteroid belt, wasn’t just an asteroid. They concluded that Vesta has a crust, mantle and ...

Asteroid ‘Families’ Reveal Hidden Histories and Impact Risks across the Solar System ...

This big asteroid, called Vesta, doesn’t look THAT scary. Then again, it’s 300,000 miles away from the camera. I’m sure it’d look a whole lot scarier from, say, 30,000 miles away. And 3,000 miles away ...

Asteroids always get left out of the party. Send a spacecraft to Jupiter or Saturn or one of the solar system’s other glamor spots and the press will be all over you. But asteroids? Not so much.