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Vesta – May 14, 2007

Vesta - May 14, 2007
Hubble observations of Vesta were taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on May 14 and 16, 2007.

About the Object

  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    The semi-major axis of Vesta's orbit about the Sun is 2.36 Astronomical Units (A.U.) or roughly 219 million miles (353 million kilometers). At the time of the Hubble observations, Vesta was roughly 1.2 A.U. from Earth.
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Vesta is has a mean diameter of approximately 330 miles (530 kilometers). The object has a 354 mile (570 km) diameter at the equator and a slightly smaller diameter 288 miles (464 km) pole-to-pole.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    This image was created from data from the HST proposal 10799: L. McFadden and J.Y. Li (University of Maryland, College Park), M. Sykes (University of Arizona), P. Thomas (Cornell University), C. Russell (University of California, Los Angeles), and J. Parker and E. Young (Southwest Research Institute). The science team includes: L. McFadden and J.Y. Li (University of Maryland, College Park), M. Mutchler and Z. Levay (Space Telescope Science Institute), P. Thomas (Cornell University), J. Parker and E. Young (Southwest Research Institute), and C. Russell and B. Schmidt (University of California, Los Angeles).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>WFPC2
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    May 14 - 16, 2007
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F439W (B) and F673N ([SII])
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Vesta, 4 Vesta
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Minor Body in the Main Asteroid Belt
  • Release Date
    June 20, 2007
  • Science Release
    Hubble Images of Asteroids Help Astronomers Prepare for Spacecraft Visit
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and L. McFadden (University of Maryland)

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Vesta - May 14, 2007
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image is a composite of many separate exposures made by the WFPC2 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope using two different filters. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F439W (B) Red: F673N ([SII])

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

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Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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