Minor planets of the solar system. Minor planets - Juno, Ceres, Vesta, Pallas Celestial police and asteroid Vesta

Asteroid Vesta was discovered on March 29, 1807 by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers and is one of the brightest asteroids visible from Earth on a clear night. It is located in the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter. This asteroid has always attracted scientists, as it closely resembles a planet that suffered a collision with some huge object more than two million years ago. Despite the fact that the asteroid is almost the same age as planet Earth, in the photographs it looks like a nascent planet. Usually small objects of the Solar system (satellites, asteroids), devoid of a magnetic field and not protected by a powerful atmosphere, inevitably “age” from the effects of cosmic dust, meteorite impacts, and solar wind. But for some reason the surface of this asteroid looks like that of a young planet that has not undergone space weathering (darkening of the surface). To clarify all these mysteries, more accurate information was needed than what is available only through a telescope. And on September 27, 2007, NASA's Dawn space probe was launched, the first space mission to Vesta. Already on June 1, 2011, the Dawn space probe took the first images of Vesta, which showed the rotation of the asteroid. On September 5, 2012, the Dawn spacecraft, having completed its work of collecting and transmitting data, left orbit around Vesta and headed towards Ceres. Dawn made 78 observations of Vesta - the highest quality in the history of such interplanetary missions. An amazing discovery was the discovery of two huge craters in the southern hemisphere of Vesta, partially overlapping each other. The first has a diameter of 395 km, and the second - 505 km, which is almost 90% of the diameter of Vesta itself. Also, noticeable gravitational anomalies were discovered and the first gravitational map of Vesta was compiled. According to gravimetric measurements, Vesta's material concentrates towards the center, possibly forming an iron core. The asteroid's axis is inclined by about 27 degrees, that is, more than Earth's (23.5 degrees). For comparison, the Moon's axis, which has craters constantly in the shadow, is tilted only about one and a half degrees. As a result, Vesta experiences a cycle of seasons, and every part of its surface sees the Sun at some point.

Vesta. Astrological context.

Vesta is the goddess who holds the eternal and holy fire of spiritual development, transformation, purification and enlightenment. From an astrological point of view, it develops vigilance and responsibility, and ethical concerns in a person. It serves to maintain life without taking part in it itself. The position in the natal chart indicates those areas of life where a person can do something greater and sacrifice himself for the common good. Where Vesta is, we must allow the other person to see what we consider most precious, but often what is most vulnerable. If Vesta has a connection with the planets of relationships, then such people are always committed to serious relationships; frivolity is not their style. They would rather be alone than frivolous and unsuitable partners. For example, the Vesta Moon interaction gives a sense of belonging, and day after day we share this feeling with those we love. Such people simply will not tolerate relationships that do not allow this. In the dynamic development of the horoscope, Vesta manifests itself especially clearly in such events as marriage, divorce, the birth of a child (a child comes into the family), and a change of place of residence. Vesta is less active and does not always participate in the formation of instructions for the purchase or sale of real estate, travel, or the appearance of a new family member in the apartment. This happens, for example, in directorates - by aspecting Vesta with the rulers and cusps of the “marriage” houses - I, III, IV, VII, X. Moreover, as it should be, Vesta both gives aspects from her directorial position and receives them to your natal position. For example, in the year of divorce, she becomes on the cusp of crisis houses (IV, VIII, XII), has a configuration with the Nodes, a connection or a negative aspect with the rulers of the “marriage” or crisis houses. In any case, the use of asteroid Vesta is additional important information when reading a horoscope.

Asteroid (4) Vesta- the second largest body in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
In general, it would be more correct to call it “minor planet Vesta.” It is the largest of the minor planets in this asteroid belt.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA image from the Dawn station, July 24, 2011. The picture was taken from a distance of approximately 5200 km.

It is clearly visible that Vesta did not have enough of its own gravity to take the shape of a ball.
Curious for comparison: Saturn's moon Mimas It is smaller in size, but it was able to acquire a spherical shape.

became the most massive asteroid in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars after Ceres was reclassified as a dwarf planet. But the planet Vesta is smaller in size than Pallas, another small planet.

A fairly bright asteroid, the only one that can be seen with the naked eye. Several other asteroids are also theoretically visible without a telescope, but already at the limit of our eyes, this requires good vision and a truly black sky, without flare.

Using the Hubble telescope, an idea of ​​the surface of Vesta and its composition was obtained.
In 2011, the Dawn spacecraft approached Vesta and took more accurate images.
The entire south pole and surrounding areas are occupied by the huge crater Reyasilvia, with a diameter of about 460 km. It is named after the Vestal Virgin Rhea Silvia, the mother of the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. The name is written in exactly one word, so it was decided not to use double names.

An image of the southern hemisphere of Vesta from the Rassvet spacecraft.
The picture was taken on July 17, 2011 from a distance of 15,000 km.

The central hill of the Rheasilvia crater is visible in the center.
But the walls of the crater are not visible, because the Rheasilvia crater is so large that it is almost equal to the diameter of Vesta itself.
The bottom of the crater is located at 13 km. below the average surface level of Vesta, and the edges are 4-12 km higher.
The central hill of the crater is 18 km. height.

It is assumed that many asteroids of the same class V are fragments of Vesta.

Southern Hemisphere elevation map of the asteroid Vesta. The highest places are shown in red.
The large red circle is the walls of the Rheasilvia crater.
The red spot in the middle of the circle is the central hill of this crater.
The photo was taken from the same point as the top image, but shifted slightly clockwise.
If you look closely, you will notice that the shape of Reyasilvia is not a circle - in the picture it is broken at the bottom, and then there is another semicircle. This is an even more ancient crater - Veneneya, with a diameter of about 400 km.
Veneneia was formed 2-3 billion years ago by the collision of Vesta with a dark, carbon-rich asteroid.
And, one billion years ago, Vesta collided with another asteroid of lighter material, resulting in the formation of the Rheasilvia crater.

The blows were truly monstrous and it is unclear how poor Vesta even remained unharmed.
If you paid attention to the size of Vesta in three coordinates, you probably noticed that two sizes are 500 km each, and in the third - about 400. From this we could conclude that Vesta is strongly flattened.
Look at the animation of its rotation, which was compiled from successive images: Vesta is indeed flattened from the poles. These are the consequences of a collision with asteroids that formed the craters of Rheasilvia and Veneneia.
In addition, look more closely: along the equator, you can see longitudinal grooves as it rotates. It is believed that these are grabens - geological folds, or rather rock faults, that were formed from collisions with these asteroids.

However, Vesta suffered more than once, as evidenced by other craters tens of kilometers in size.

This chain of three craters on Vesta is called the Snowman. Located in the Northern Hemisphere.
Their names from West to East, that is, from left to right in the photograph: Marcia, Calpurnia and Minucia.
Marcia, whose diameter is about 50-60 km, is the youngest of these craters, since it overlaps Calpurnia.
Minucius is the oldest, as can be seen from the smoothed walls and integrity of the walls of Calpurnia on his side.

The core of the Vesta asteroid is iron-nickel. Stone mantle. After the initial heating and melting of rocks from nuclear reactions, a period of cooling and crystallization began, which led to the diversity of rocks on Vesta. This can be seen from the spectral analysis of class V meteorites that reach the Earth.

Until now, Vesta has been studied only through telescopes. But, in August 2011, the American spacecraft Dawn (NASA), launched in 2007, had already entered Vesta orbit and transmitted its first high-quality images. In April 2012, it left Vesta and headed towards Ceres.
On March 6, 2015, the device entered Ceres orbit.

More on this topic:
Dwarf planet Ceres . Minor planet 433- planet Eros.

 or tell your friends: Published 01/18/17 09:51

An asteroid flies towards Earth today 2017: the celestial body will fly by on January 18 at a distance of 229 million km from Earth.

Residents of our planet will be able to see the Vesta asteroid on Epiphany night from January 18 to 19, 2017, which will become the brightest this year, as it will be in opposition to the Sun.

“Provided the weather is clear, it can be observed with the naked eye,” TASS quotes a representative of the Moscow Planetarium.

Asteroid Vesta ranks second in its massiveness in the main Asteroid Belt intkbbee between Mars and Jupiter. The celestial body was discovered by Heinrich Olbers on March 29, 1807, and the asteroid received its name in honor of the goddess Vesta, the keeper of the hearth.

As scientists note, the Vesta asteroid has a very bright surface and is the only celestial object of its kind visible to the naked eye from Earth on a clear night. Its size is 576 km across. It is capable of approaching our planet to a small distance by cosmic standards of 177 million km.

“On January 18, Vesta will be at a distance of about 229 million km from the Earth. Vesta can be observed at the latitude of Moscow all night, from evening to morning, starting from 17:00 Moscow time to 07:00 Moscow time in the constellation Cancer. The brilliance of Vesta during the period of opposition will reach 6.2 m (stellar magnitude), which will make it possible, subject to clear cloudless weather, to observe the asteroid with the naked eye,” the planetarium emphasized.

Asteroid Vesta is a celestial wanderer that has survived more than one large-scale disaster, leaving us with many interesting space artifacts.

Vesta became number 4 in order of discovery in the main asteroid belt. It was noticed by the German astronomer Heinrich Olbers in 1807. It owes its name to the greatest mathematician Carl Gauss; it was he who proposed naming the found asteroid after the patroness of family and hearth from Ancient Rome.

Location and characteristics

Vesta is located in a wide asteroid belt located between Jupiter and Mars. It is filled with cosmic bodies of various sizes and a significant number of small planets.

Asteroid Vesta is the second largest among its neighbors (530 km), it is second to Pallas at only 2 km in diameter. But in terms of mass, it overtook everyone - 2.59x10 in 20 kg - this figure became the largest among similar objects, after Ceres was classified as a dwarf planet. Temperatures on the asteroid vary seasonally: in winter this figure is about -190 degrees, and in summer - 3 degrees below 0. The eastern region is highly reflective, and in the western part there are darker areas of basalt rocks.

Surface and subsurface

Topographic map of the asteroid Vesta, showing the relief of the northern and southern hemispheres. Compiled from photographs acquired between July 17, 2011 and August 26, 2012 by NASA's DAWN spacecraft.

At the beginning of its formation, Vesta had an iron core and a rocky mantle, which were partially melted by internal heat. Over time, cooling occurred and a large amount of minerals appeared. This fact is confirmed by meteorites found on Earth that left the asteroid after powerful impacts. The surface of Vesta was subjected to several large-scale attacks, leaving behind craters hundreds of kilometers long. Their consequences are being studied using the Hubble telescope and the Dawn spacecraft.

The largest crater is located in the southern part, its size is 460 km, and the rock formation along the perimeter rises 18 km. This rock was pushed out by an impact of colossal force, its height is twice that of Everest.

The huge crater, like all the others on the asteroid, is named after the famous Roman matron, it bears the name Rhea Silvia. Many other, smaller craters were also discovered here. Another structure on the surface indicates catastrophic impacts - a system of trenches at the equator. The longest is called Divaliya, it has a length of 465 km and a depth of up to 5 km.

3D map of Vesta

Remnants of the disaster

The shape of the asteroid is close to spherical, since its uniformity was disrupted by a powerful collision with another celestial body more than 2 billion years ago. The fragments of Vesta left its surface and formed a family of class V asteroids. Their sizes are significantly smaller than the size of the main object and do not exceed 10 km in diameter. Scientists have calculated the number of these cosmic bodies; in 2005 it was 6051. Some meteorites circle in the space of the Universe, and those that fell on Earth brought important information about their ancestor Vesta.

Digital model of the Vesta asteroid

This is interesting

High reflective data made the asteroid one of the brightest celestial bodies. Vesta is visible to us without optical zoom. The asteroid is the same age as the Solar System, and in geological composition it is close to the terrestrial planets. Studies by the Dawn space probe, which took place in 2011-2012, provided many images of the surface and made it possible to create a detailed map of it. Only after the device approached the asteroid were scientists able to calculate its exact mass.

The Dawn spacecraft captured this image on July 17, 2011. It was located about 15,000 kilometers (9,500 miles) from Vesta. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA.

Vesta is the second most massive object in the asteroid belt, second only to Ceres, which is classified as a dwarf planet. Vesta, the brightest asteroid in the sky, is sometimes visible from Earth with the naked eye. This is the first asteroid visited by a spacecraft. The Dawn mission showed us Vesta in 2011, providing new data about this rocky world.

In 1596, after studying planetary orbits, Johannes Kepler came to the conclusion that a planet must exist in the region between Mars and Jupiter. Mathematical calculations by Johann Daniel Titius and Johann Elert Bode in 1772, later known as the Titius-Bode law, seemed to support this prediction. In August 1798, a group of astronomers began searching for this missing planet. Among the latter was the German astronomer Heinrich Olbers. Olbers discovered the second asteroid known at that time - Pallas. In his letter to astronomers, he outlined the theory of the origin of these asteroids.

“Perhaps Ceres and Pallas are just a couple of fragments ... of a once larger planet that once lay between Mars and Jupiter,” he wrote.

Olbers believed that the fragments of this planet would intersect at the point of destruction and on the opposite side of the orbit. He observed these two regions and discovered Vesta on March 29, 1807, becoming the first person to discover two asteroids.

This image of the giant asteroid Vesta taken by the Dawn spacecraft shows numerous impact craters. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA.

Vesta is unique among asteroids in that the light and dark areas on its surface are similar to those on the Moon. Ground-based observations have shown that the asteroid has basaltic areas, which suggests that lava flowed along its surface in the past. It has an irregular shape, approximately the same as an oblate spheroid.

As Vesta approached Earth in 1996, the Hubble Space Telescope imaged some of the object's topographical features. For example, a large crater at the south pole, the average diameter of which is about 460 kilometers, while Vesta itself is only 530 kilometers across. The crater is about 13 kilometers deep and was most likely formed by a major collision early in the asteroid's life. The material ejected from this collision resulted in a number of smaller vestoid asteroids that orbited their parent, as well as meteorites that crashed into Earth.

Unlike most asteroids, Vesta's structure is differentiated. Like planets, the asteroid has a crust of cooled lava that covers a rocky mantle and an iron-nickel core. These properties are an argument in favor of the fact that Vesta should be considered a protoplanet and not an asteroid.

In fact, if not for Jupiter, Vesta would have a good chance of becoming a planet.

“The velocities in the asteroid belt were really high, and the higher the velocities, the harder it is for planetesimals to come together,” said David O'Brien, a fellow at the institute in Tucson, Arizona.

In 1960, a fireball that streaked across the skies over Australia was later found to be part of Vesta. Composed almost entirely of pyroxene, the meteorite has the same spectral characteristics as Vesta.

In October 2010, the Hubble Space Telescope focused on Vesta again. The findings showed that the asteroid's tilt is about four degrees greater than researchers previously thought. This data helped NASA place the Dawn spacecraft in polar orbit around the asteroid.

The Dawn spacecraft, which has been studying the asteroid since 2012, has discovered that there is a surprisingly large amount of hydrogen on the surface of the rocky body. He also discovered bright reflective areas that may have appeared after his birth.

“Our analysis shows that this bright material has not changed significantly since Vesta formed more than 4 billion years ago,” said Jian-Yang Li.

Vesta's south pole has a huge mountain that reaches an altitude of over 20 kilometers (65,000 feet), making it almost as tall as Olympus Mons on Mars. Olympus is the largest mountain (and volcano) in the solar system. It rises 24 kilometers (15 miles) above the surface of Mars.

In addition, astronomers believe that liquid water existed on the asteroid. Images taken by the Dawn spacecraft captured curved gullies and fan-shaped deposits in eight different craters on Vesta. All eight craters are believed to have formed in the last few hundred million years, which is relatively recent for a 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid.

“No one expected to find evidence of water on Vesta because its surface is so cold and it has no atmosphere, causing any water on its surface to evaporate quickly,” Jennifer Scully, a graduate student at Vesta, said in a statement. University of Los Angeles.

Dawn also found evidence of hydrated minerals (materials containing water molecules) on Vesta's surface, which could also hint at the presence of subsurface ice.