Close-ups of Vesta, our second-heaviest asteroid

NASA's Dawn mission has returned new images from orbit around Vesta, revealing a diverse and dramatic landscape.

Dawn entered orbit around the giant asteroid Vesta on 16 July. Vesta is the second-heaviest asteroid in the solar system and may offer new insights into the early stages of planet formation, since meteorites from Vesta suggest the giant asteroid formed before Earth and the other planets.

Nice pic! This particular asteroid may have significant research value, but I imagine there is a lot of potential beyond that here.

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