1807: On 28 March 1807, Vesta 4, the only asteroid visible to the naked eye, thus the brightest on record, was first observed by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers.
Vesta is a main belt asteroid with a diameter of 525 kilometres and a rotation period of 5.34 hours. Pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 show Vesta's complex surface, with a geology similar to that of terrestrial worlds - such as Earth or Mars - a surprisingly diverse world with an exposed mantle, ancient lava flows and impact basins.
It once had a molten interior. This contradicts conventional ideas that asteroids essentially are cold, rocky fragments left behind from the early days of planetary formation.
Modal multimediów
25 March
24 March
bądź na bieżąco
Zapisz się do naszego newslettera, aby otrzymywać najnowsze wiadomości, aktualizacje misji i ekskluzywne materiały bezpośrednio do swojej skrzynki odbiorczej. Dowiedz się jako pierwszy o naszych nadchodzących projektach i przełomach.