Vesta, thought to be the second-largest asteroid in the solar system, could be a piece of an ancient, unknown planet, a new study hints.

NASA launched the Dawn spacecraft in 2007 to study Vesta and Ceres, the two largest objects in the asteroid belt. The goal was to better understand how planets were formed.

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 ...

The latest discoveries about Vesta challenge its traditional classification. This giant asteroid might actually be a remnant of a forming planet rather than a minor planet. Scientists long ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. On a large asteroid named Vesta, mysteriously curved gullies and fan-shaped deposits may have ...

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 ...

Asteroid 4 Vesta is stationary at 3 P.M. EDT. Now located in the constellation Virgo, Vesta is mid-6th-magnitude — easy to find in just a few minutes from any location using binoculars or a ...