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AsteriaStar
Asteroid family

Vesta family (Vestoids)

Basaltic fragments blasted from the giant south-polar impact basin of 4 Vesta — the source of the HED meteorites found on Earth.

Asteroid familyTaxonomy: V-typeParent body: vesta

Overview

Basaltic fragments blasted from the giant south-polar impact basin of 4 Vesta — the source of the HED meteorites found on Earth.

Members

1 modelled member.

  • 4 Vesta

    The second-most-massive asteroid and the brightest as seen from Earth, a differentiated basaltic body and the parent of the Vesta family, orbited by NASA's Dawn.

    CategoryMain beltTypeBasaltic (V)Diameter525 kmDiscovered1807

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

  • NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics

    Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.