Sep 4 1997
From The Space Library
Using the HST, astronomers from a number of universities and other institutions reported in Science that they had discovered a massive crater on the asteroid Vesta. Scientists had long suspected that the asteroid might have a large crater, because Vesta is the "parent body" of many smaller asteroids, suggesting that a significant collision once occurred on Vesta. However, even with hints of such a history, the sheer size of Vesta's crater surprised the observers. Measuring 285 miles (469 kilometers) across, the crater was nearly equal to Vesta's 330-mile (531-kilometer) diameter. Scientists had waited for the asteroid to move closer to Earth, so that they could examine its surface closely. In May 1996, Vesta had moved within 110 million miles (177 million kilometers) of Earth, its closest approach in a decade. The science team stated further that unveiling Vesta's complexion and history had yielded new insights into the effects of "a large impact on a small object.
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