# First Look at Asteroid Vesta **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 14, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042 "2011-07-14T19:01:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/21 "2011-07-16T19:21:01Z")
That is so fake. I mean you can tell it’s a nerf ball that’s been discolored and chewed on by a dog ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/22 "2011-08-03T12:19:45Z")
It’s [wiki page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_Vesta) has been updated with an animation showing a complete rotation of Vesta, which gives a much better sense of depth. ---
**Author:** ![Kiber](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiber/32/317_2.png) [@Kiber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiber)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/23 "2011-08-03T14:13:09Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > It’s [wiki page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_Vesta) has been updated with an animation showing a complete rotation of Vesta, which gives a much better sense of depth. That’s a great link. But looking at the animation, there appears to be a long groove running along the equator (I assume it’s called the equator). Is that really there, or is it a function of the animation? And if it is there, what could cause such a long, uniform, groovy-thingy along its equator? ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/24 "2011-08-03T14:56:05Z")
I’m pretty sure it’s not an artifact, it shows up in still photos. It may be the result of a geological process. Vesta is a differentiated body, it was hot enough early in it’s history for the heavier elements to sink to it’s core. The grooves could have formed as it cooled and shrank. Or it could be a result of the large impact near it’s south pole, which left an impact basin about 80% of Vesta’s width. I vaguely suspect the latter, as the grooves are roughly parallel to the the edges of the crater, but I’m no inteplanetry geologist. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/25 "2011-08-03T15:24:08Z")
I’ve read there are already over 500 pictures, and likely will be hundreds more that will get better and better as Dawn gets 10 times closer to about 100 miles from the surface over the next year. Then I read this: “The team does not plan to post raw images online as other NASA missions have done. Instead, there will be just one picture released daily.” Uhh… why is that again? ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/26 "2011-08-03T15:58:59Z")
I guess I never realized just how big that sucker is until I saw in relation to the moon on the wiki page. Holy Moly. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/27 "2011-08-03T16:14:28Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > As neat as having two moons would be, it might be more useful if we dragged it to Mars. The spinning gravity interaction could kick start the planet core and generate a magnetic field. I say hollow it out, spin it, live there. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/28 "2011-08-03T16:50:49Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I say hollow it out, spin it, live there. I wonder how often it collides with other stuff though? While we are at it, we could hollow out significant sections of our moon and use the excavated material to build huge artificial moons at one or more of the earth/moon libration points. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/29 "2011-08-03T19:23:19Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > I wonder how often it collides with other stuff though? Not very often. It’s geologically dead, so unlike on Earth, once a crater is made it stays there until another one erases it. ---
**Author:** ![metusalem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@metusalem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metusalem)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/30 "2012-03-22T21:25:50Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I say hollow it out, spin it, live there. God I love this line. tthe only reason I signed into this forum is to say that. only it took so long I wonder if anybody still remembers what was it all about. anyway, I think it is funny. ---
**Author:** ![metusalem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@metusalem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metusalem)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/31 "2012-03-22T21:29:10Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I say hollow it out, spin it, live there. God I love this line. the only reason I signed into this forum is to say that. only it took so long I wonder if anybody still remembers what was it all about. (Vesta) anyway, I think it was funny. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/32 "2012-03-24T08:21:37Z")
> [@Bootis](#): > > I’ve read there are already over 500 pictures, and likely will be hundreds more that will get better and better as Dawn gets 10 times closer to about 100 miles from the surface over the next year. Then I read this: > > “The team does not plan to post raw images online as other NASA missions have done. Instead, there will be just one picture released daily.” > > Uhh… why is that again? As a Vesta virgin, it’s shy. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/33 "2012-03-24T10:08:51Z")
> [@Bootis](#): > > “The team does not plan to post raw images online as other NASA missions have done. Instead, there will be just one picture released daily.” > > Uhh… why is that again? That’s to give them time to touch up the image to disguise the fact that it was produced on a Hollywood studio stage. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/34 "2012-03-24T10:11:08Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > Know anyone who can pitch a 579 mph fastball? Where’s [Sidd Finch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidd_Finch) when you need him? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042/35 "2012-03-24T10:51:10Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > That’s to give them time to touch up the image to disguise the fact that it was produced on a Hollywood studio stage. Don’t make me come down there with Vesta’s big sister, Ceres. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-look-at-asteroid-vesta/589042.md?page=1)