Confirmed: Vesta, the second largest of the asteroids, is a runt planet. Observations by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft show that Vesta formed within the first few million years of the solar system, that its ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. For decades, scientists thought that Vesta was a protoplanet rather than an asteroid. NASA's Dawn ...

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Vesta is the asteroid belt’s second largest object, but figuring out what it is has driven astronomers crazy. Is it an asteroid? A planet, perhaps a protoplanet? Whatever the answer, Vesta might just ...

Vesta, the second largest object in the main asteroid belt, has an iron core, a varied surface, layers of rock and possibly a magnetic field -- all signs of a planet in the making, not an asteroid. So ...

Scientists still aren't sure what to make of Vesta, a small body that orbits the sun. Is it an asteroid or a planet? NASA's Dawn spacecraft could settle the matter. Vesta was spotted 200 years ago and ...

EPFL researchers have a better understanding of the asteroid Vesta and its internal structure, thanks to numerical simulations and data from the space mission Dawn. Their findings, published today in ...

The giant asteroid Vesta, sometimes known as a proto-planet, has a surface unlike any other airless body previously observed. While Earth’s moon and other airless bodies are generally a relatively ...

Dwarf planet Vesta is helping scientists understand the early development of our solar system. (NASA) The dwarf planet Vesta is helping scientists better understand the earliest era in the formation ...

In the making Vesta, the second largest object in the main asteroid belt, has an iron core, a varied surface, layers of rock and possibly a magnetic field - all signs of a planet in the making, not an ...

The dwarf planet Vesta is helping scientists better understand the earliest era in the formation of our solar system. Two recent articles use data from meteorites derived from Vesta to resolve the ...