Asteroid 4 Vesta
4 Vesta is a large asteroid located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on March 29, 1807 by German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers and is one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, with a diameter of approximately 525 kilometers. Vesta has a relatively bright surface and is thought to be one of the few remaining protoplanets from the early solar system that has not undergone significant alteration since its formation. It has a differentiated interior, with a rocky crust, a mantle, and a metallic core. Vesta has a rotation period of about 5.34 hours and an orbital period of 3.63 Earth years. It has been observed by ground-based telescopes, as well as by the Dawn spacecraft, which orbited the asteroid from 2011 to 2012. The observations have revealed insights into its geology, composition, and history, including evidence of volcanic activity, impact craters, and a unique set of surface features known as "Vestoids", which are fragments believed to have been ejected from Vesta's surface by impacts.
Asteroid 4 Vesta is in the constellation of
Libra,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 4 Vesta is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 4 Vesta?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 4 Vesta in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise,
transit and set times of
Asteroid 4 Vesta from
Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Azimuth: 96.0°
Max altitude: 32.4°
Azimuth: 263.9°
- 4 Vesta is
below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 4 Vesta is barely visible to naked eye under a clear and dark sky, easily visible with the help of a small binocular.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple
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Distance from Earth
- 4 Vesta is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 4 Vesta is barely visible to naked eye under a clear and dark sky, easily visible with the help of a small binocular.
- Go to interactive sky chart
The distance of Asteroid 4 Vesta from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 4 Vesta from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 4 Vesta from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499, the closest approach of Asteroid 4 Vesta to Earth happens on Thu Jun 23 2439 at a distance of 1.131542 Astronomical Units, or 169,276,274 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 4 Vesta, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 4 Vesta at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.08875750 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 7.13925798° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.15330084 AU 322,129,221 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
2.57277559 AU 384,881,751 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.36303821 AU 353,505,486 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.6326 years 1,326.7972 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2021-Dec-27 16:07:29 2,459,576.1719 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2025-Aug-15 11:15 2,460,902.9691 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 151.59916398802° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 103.75730014935° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 115.13298959749° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.27133009°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Asteroid 4 Vesta in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 4 Vesta. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 530 km | 0.0416 |
| Sideral Rotation | 5.3420 hours | 0.2232 |
| Absolute Magnitude | 3.2 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.4228 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 4 Vesta computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Mar 28 | 15h 15m 38s | -06° 32’ 32” | 6.33 | Libra |
| 2025 Mar 29 | 15h 15m 28s | -06° 28’ 51” | 6.31 | Libra |
| 2025 Mar 30 | 15h 15m 16s | -06° 25’ 05” | 6.29 | Libra |
| 2025 Mar 31 | 15h 15m 01s | -06° 21’ 16” | 6.26 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 01 | 15h 14m 45s | -06° 17’ 24” | 6.24 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 02 | 15h 14m 27s | -06° 13’ 28” | 6.22 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 03 | 15h 14m 07s | -06° 09’ 30” | 6.19 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 04 | 15h 13m 45s | -06° 05’ 30” | 6.17 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 05 | 15h 13m 21s | -06° 01’ 27” | 6.14 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 06 | 15h 12m 55s | -05° 57’ 23” | 6.12 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 07 | 15h 12m 28s | -05° 53’ 17” | 6.10 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 08 | 15h 11m 58s | -05° 49’ 11” | 6.07 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 09 | 15h 11m 27s | -05° 45’ 03” | 6.05 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 10 | 15h 10m 55s | -05° 40’ 54” | 6.03 | Libra |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Asteroid 4 Vesta?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Asteroid 4 Vesta from Earth?)
- When does Asteroid 4 Vesta rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Asteroid 4 Vesta?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Asteroid 4 Vesta orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Asteroid 4 Vesta with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- Physical data. Detailed information about physical properties of Asteroid 4 Vesta, such as mass and geometric properties.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Asteroid 4 Vesta for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Asteroid 4 Vesta in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Asteroid 4 Vesta with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.