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AsteriaStar

Asteroid

4 Vesta

One of the largest objects in the asteroid belt, visited by NASA's Dawn.

Type
Asteroid
Domain
Scientific connections
Connections
11

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA · NASA media (public domain)

Orbit & physical parameters

Osculating orbit and physical parameters from the NASA JPL Small-Body Database · Main-belt Asteroid · epoch 2026-06-09 (JD 2461200.5 TDB) · Earth MOID 1.13603 au

Semi-major axis2.361366 ± 1.5328e-9 auNASA JPL · calculated
Eccentricity0.090204 ± 2.2909e-10NASA JPL · calculated
Perihelion distance2.148362 ± 1.9335e-9 auNASA JPL · calculated
Aphelion distance2.57437 ± 1.6711e-9 auNASA JPL · calculated
Inclination7.143926 ± 2.1704e-7 degNASA JPL · calculated
Longitude of ascending node103.701293 ± 3.8827e-7 degNASA JPL · calculated
Argument of perihelion151.468648 ± 1.8814e-7 degNASA JPL · calculated
Orbital period1,325 ± 1.2905e-6 dNASA JPL · calculated
Diameter522.77 ± 0.1 kmNASA JPL · catalogued
Geometric albedo0.4228 ± 0.053NASA JPL · estimated
Rotation period5.342128 ± 4.0000e-10 hNASA JPL · catalogued
Absolute magnitude (H)3.25 magNASA JPL · catalogued
Full field-level provenance
  • Semi-major axis: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · a · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Eccentricity: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · e · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Perihelion distance: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · q · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Aphelion distance: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · ad · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Inclination: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · i · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Longitude of ascending node: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · om · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Argument of perihelion: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · w · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Orbital period: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · per · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Diameter: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.diameter · catalogued value · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Geometric albedo: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.albedo · Bayesian estimate · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Rotation period: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.rot_per · catalogued value · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Absolute magnitude (H): Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.H · catalogued value · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 9451 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11

Orbital elements are a calculated JPL orbit-determination fit, all referred to the single osculating epoch above (solution by Davide Farnocchia); each carries its own uncertainty. Fields the database did not provide are omitted, never invented.

KSC-07pd1509
KSC-07pd1509 · NASA/Kennedy

Experience system V6

Small-body profile

A catalog-first story for orbit class, discovery, physical parameters, and planetary-defense context when recorded.

Orbit viewerSmall-body anatomyDiscovery factsCatalog links
  1. 01

    Observe

    NASA imagery anchors the visual reading with licensed source metadata.

  2. 02

    Measure

    Numerical fields come from the typed Solar System catalog and are omitted when not available.

  3. 03

    Locate

    Part of Solar System.

  4. 04

    Connect

    11 graph relations shape the knowledge viewport.

Object type
Asteroid
Graph relations
11
Verified sources
2
Image records
4
Domain
Scientific connections
Status
Graph entity

Scientific map

Orbit context

The Sun4 VestaCatalog position context
Primary orbital anchor
The Sun
Measured orbit field
Orbital distance not recorded in this graph record

Original SVG diagram

Small-body anatomy

Small-body readingIrregular nucleus/bodySurface / regolith contextOrbit class from catalog data(4) Vesta
Designation
(4) Vesta
Discovery
Heinrich Olbers, 1807
Eccentricity
Not recorded
Inclination
Not recorded
DawnDawnDawnDawnHED MeteoritesMain Asteroid BeltMillbillillieRheasilviaRheasilviaSolar SystemVesta family (Ves...4 VestaAsteroid

Visual knowledge graph

Relationships, not isolated facts

This viewport is generated from the Asteria knowledge graph. Science, culture, and interpretive links remain separated by domain so visual context never changes the evidentiary meaning of a relation.

Image provenance

Photography as evidence

4 cleared visual records

Continue the atlas

Curated next objects

Observation

How this was captured

Source
NASA
Observation date
2012-09-05

Gallery

KSC-07pd1513

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle for the Dawn spacecraft arrives at the upper level of the mobile service tower. It wi…

2007

NASA/Kennedy · NASA media (public domain)

Source archive ↗

Data

Scientific data & provenance

Data & provenance

Stable ID
asteroid:vesta
Type
Asteroid
Domain
Scientific connections
Relationships
11
Graph version
1.0.0

Dataset membership

Open data

In the graph export: graph.json · graph.jsonld

Planned API: GET /api/v0/entities/asteroid:vesta

Scientific quality

Substantial
Unreviewed2 sourcesv1.0.0

4 of 6 applicable dimensions complete

Description
Complete
Source coverage
Complete
Relationship coverage
Complete
Review coverage
None
Citation coverage
None
Image coverage
Complete
Timeline coverage
Not applicable

Scientific entity. Dimensions that cannot apply to this object are excluded rather than counted as gaps. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.

Scientific citations

2

Real, source-backed references — primary papers first, then datasets and institutional sources. Formatted through the citation engine; nothing is fabricated.

  • NASA JPL (Caltech)

    Cite (APA / BibTeX)
    NASA JPL (Caltech) (n.d.). 4 Vesta — JPL Small-Body Database. NASA JPL (Caltech). https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html
    
    @misc{cite:jpl-asteroid-vesta,
      title        = {4 Vesta — JPL Small-Body Database},
      organization = {NASA JPL (Caltech)},
      year         = {n.d.},
      url          = {https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html},
      note         = {Orbit and physical data for 4 Vesta.}
    }
  • Institutional page4 Vesta — NASA Science

    NASA

    Cite (APA / BibTeX)
    NASA (n.d.). 4 Vesta — NASA Science. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/
    
    @misc{cite:nasa-asteroid-vesta,
      title        = {4 Vesta — NASA Science},
      organization = {NASA},
      year         = {n.d.},
      url          = {https://science.nasa.gov/},
      note         = {NASA overview of 4 Vesta.}
    }

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Sources & references

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.