On March 29, 1807, the German astronomer Heinrich Olbers discovered the asteroid Vesta. [‘On This Day in Space’ Video Series ...

A robotic probe currently studying the giant asteroid Vesta is going into bonus rounds in the asteroid belt, with NASA clearing the spacecraft to spend 40 extra days gleaning more of the space rock's ...

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 ...

Analyzing gravity data collected by spacecraft orbiting other worlds reveals groundbreaking insights about planetary structures without having to land on the surface. Although the moon and the ...

When Heinrich Olbers spotted asteroid Pallas on March 28, 1802, it called into question the recent discovery of Ceres as the ...

Vesta, the second-largest asteroid, is easily visible with binoculars or a telescope. Vesta appears near a fainter star, creating a close pair of lights. Locate Vesta in Libra, northwest of the star ...

Located between Mars and Jupiter lies Vesta, the second-largest body within the main asteroid belt. For generations, astronomers thought Vesta wasn’t an ordinary asteroid: It also contained properties ...

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 ...