Animation shows the many colours of asteroid Vesta FREE for the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The second largest object in the asteroid belt, dubbed Asteroid 4 Vesta, will feature in the night sky from now until about July 16 to 17. Stargazers are in luck because Vesta is visible at night to the naked eye but decent binoculars or a telescope are preferable for viewing. Vesta will shine at night like a dim yellow dot at a magnitude of around 5.5. From now until about June 29, the asteroid will appear to move through the constellation Sagittarius. Tonight (Wednesday, June 27) Vesta sits to the east of the planet Saturn which is currently at opposition to the sun in the southern sky. Over the next few days, Vesta will decline towards the southeast at a declination of -20° 18’ 02”. The trajectory will see Vesta move towards the lower end of the constellation Ophicus by June 29. Asteroid Vesta is estimated to hold about nine percent of all the mass contained in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroid 4 Vesta: The monstrous space rock is speeding through the asteroid belt Asteroid 4 Vesta: The asteroid is visible in the night sky for the next two weeks In size, the space rock is only second to its sister asteroid Ceres which accounts for a third of the mass in the belt. SPHERE’s image of Vesta is impressive given the separation between Earth and Vesta European Southern Observatory Vesta was recently observed by the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT). The ESO said: “SPHERE’s image of Vesta is impressive given the separation between Earth and Vesta, and the small size of the asteroid – it lies twice as far from the Sun as our planet does, and has a mean diameter of just 525 kilometres. “It shows Vesta’s main features: the giant impact basin at Vesta's south pole, and the mountain at the bottom right. Asteroid 4 Vesta: The space rock has about the surface area of Pakistan Amazing facts about Asteroids Tue, April 4, 2017 The first asteroid was Ceres, discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. There are currently over 600,000 known asteroids in our solar system. Most asteroids are found orbiting in the Asteroid Belt, a series of rings located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 10 There are Millions of Asteroids in the solar system, usually found in the Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, however those in that pass the Earth are called Near-Earth objects<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks The giant space rock is barreling through space at breakneck speeds of 19.34 km/s or 43,262mph. NASA experts estimate Vesta’s surface area to measure about 800,000 square kilometres, which is equivalent to three times the size of the UK. In diameter, Vesta measures 326miles (525km) across, making it wider than England. An asteroid impact of this size would cause unimaginable damage to the planet.<doc-sep>The 4 Vesta asteroid is currently making a drive-by visit to Earth. The asteroid, which reportedly measures more than 300 miles in diameter, is now so close to Earth that at night, you can see it with your very own eyes — no telescope required. The 4 Vesta is so large, it’s described by NASA as “the second most massive body in the main asteroid belt.” And because of its size and material composition, as it’s passing by Earth, it’s more easily visible to the average Earthling. In fact, Vesta accounts for nearly nine percent of the total mass of all asteroids, NASA reports. So why isn’t anyone freaking out over this massive rock flying through space so close to Earth? Because even though it’s so close we can see it in the night sky, it’s not actually that close at all. Oh heyyy Vesta Imgix Newsweek reported Thursday that Vesta will be closer to Earth than it has been in 20 years. But “close” to Earth, in this case, means that it’s currently about 106 million miles from our planet. And there’s reportedly “no chance” it will come into contact with Earth. Vesta can currently be seen next to Mars and Saturn in the night sky. For anyone looking for the asteroid in the northern hemisphere, it is northwest of the Sagittarius constellation. Vesta was named for the goddess of the home and family in Roman mythology. The asteroid has a fairly reflective surface, so it appears brighter than any other asteroid. That’s partly why it’s so easy to see it at night right now without the aid of a telescope, though, using one isn’t a bad idea if you want a better view. You can see 4 Vesta every night until July 16 or 17, which means you’ve got just weeks left to catch a glimpse of the asteroid this close to Earth until after the year 2040.<doc-sep>AN enormous asteroid has come so close to Earth that it is visible to the naked eye. The space rock, known as 4 Vesta is four times the size of the UK and so bright that it can be spotted from 106 million miles away. 3 An enormous asteroid is coming so close to Earth that it is visible to the naked eye Credit: AFP It is visible in both hemispheres, where it can be seen in the night sky near Mars, Saturn and the Sagittarius constellation. The asteroid measures more than 326 miles in diameter, 50 times wider than the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, will be visible in the night sky until July 16. Vesta was first discovered in 1807 and was named after the Roman goddess of the hearth and home, who is sister to Ceres – the name of the largest asteroid in the belt, which measures 587 miles in diameter. Ceres was recently reclassified as a dwarf planet. 3 Vesta was first discovered in 1807 and was named after the Roman goddess of the hearth and home The rock resides in the asteroid belt and is one of the largest known to man. From Earth, the immense stone appears as a dim yellow dot. Vesta easy to spot compared to other asteroids in the same belt as its surface is more reflective than the moon. 3 It has a sister rock Ceres, named after the Roman goddess of agriculture, that was recently reclassified as a dwarf planet The asteroid belt is a ring of space debris that orbits around the sun and between Mars and Jupiter. Most recently, Vesta came closer to our planet than it has in 20 years. The surface of the asteroid is pockmarked with craters believed to have been caused by a large smash the rock took in its formative years. The largest crater is 285 miles in diameter. MOST READ IN SCIENCE BLOOMING Super Flower Moon will fill skies tonight – how to see stunning lunar spectacle RED AHEAD May’s Supermoon total eclipse has just happened – here's some stunning snapshots MOON & THE AAHS! 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STARGAZING How to spot the 4 Vesta asteroid AMATEUR astronomers in the northern hemisphere will be able to see Vesta beyond the northwest tip of the Sagittarius constellation. Saturn and Mars will be nearby, with all visible to the naked eye from now until the middle of next month. For those in the southern hemisphere, it will be the reverse with the asteroid appearing south-westerly of the constellation. The last time the asteroid was visible in the night sky was 2011.<doc-sep>
Animation shows the many colours of asteroid Vesta The giant asteroid dubbed 4 Vesta will stay visible to the naked eye until mid-July despite being millions of miles from Earth. Vesta is currently zooming through space at a distance of 106 million miles but its sheer size and luminosity make it a bright element of the night sky. The speeding space rock is visible at night in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere in the Sagittarius constellation near the planets Mars and Saturn. Starting from June 29, the asteroid will appear to move through the constellation Ophiucus. Observers on Earth will see the asteroid as a dim yellow dot against the dark backdrop of space. For the duration of its visibility, Vesta will shine at a magnitude of around 5.5 and move in a southeastern direction. Asteroid Vesta is the second largest object lurking in the solar system’s asteroid belt and accounts for nine percent of all mass in the belt. Vesta was discovered in 1908 by German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers and was named by mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss after the Roman goddess of the hearth and household. Asteroid 4 Vesta: The giant asteroid is visible at night to the naked eye Much like Earth, the asteroid has a separate crust, mantle and core which differentiates its from other typical asteroids. Vesta’s surface is estimated to measure about 800,000 square kilometres – the equivalent of Pakistan or three times the size of the UK. The asteroid is about 525km in diameter, making it wider than England’s 309km coast to coast walk. Vesta is so huge its largest trench, named Divalia Fossa, is bigger than the Grand Canyon in Arizona, US. Amazing facts about Asteroids Tue, April 4, 2017 The first asteroid was Ceres, discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. There are currently over 600,000 known asteroids in our solar system. Most asteroids are found orbiting in the Asteroid Belt, a series of rings located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 10 There are Millions of Asteroids in the solar system, usually found in the Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, however those in that pass the Earth are called Near-Earth objects But Vesta’s size is not the only reason why it is easy to spot the asteroid at night this month. Vesta has one of the largest brightness ranges observed on any rocky body NASA NASA said: “Vesta has one of the largest brightness ranges observed on any rocky body in our solar system. “The bright materials appear to be native rocks, while the dark material is believed to have been deposited by other asteroids crashing into Vesta. “Scientists on the Dawn team estimate that about 300 dark asteroids with diameters ranging from one to 10km (0.6 to six miles) hit Vesta during the last 3.5 billion years.” Asteroid 4 Vesta: The space rock is three times the surface of the UK Asteroid 4 Vesta: Stargazers can see the asteroid move through constellation Sagittarius