4 Vesta is a large asteroid located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on March 29, 1807 by German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers and is one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, with a diameter of approximately 525 kilometers. Vesta has a relatively bright surface and is thought to be one of the few remaining protoplanets from the early solar system that has not undergone significant alteration since its formation. It has a differentiated interior, with a rocky crust, a mantle, and a metallic core. Vesta has a rotation period of about 5.34 hours and an orbital period of 3.63 Earth years. It has been observed by ground-based telescopes, as well as by the Dawn spacecraft, which orbited the asteroid from 2011 to 2012. The observations have revealed insights into its geology, composition, and history, including evidence of volcanic activity, impact craters, and a unique set of surface features known as "Vestoids", which are fragments believed to have been ejected from Vesta's surface by impacts.
Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of asteroid 4 Vesta in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Asteroid 4 Vesta
Asteroid 4 Vesta is in the constellation of Virgo, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of asteroid 4 Vesta in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of asteroid 4 Vesta against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of asteroid 4 Vesta from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Distance from Earth
The distance of asteroid 4 Vesta from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of asteroid 4 Vesta from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of 4 Vesta from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 1600 and December 30, 2499, the closest approach of asteroid 4 Vesta to Earth will happen on Thursday 23 June 2439 at a distance of 1.131542 Astronomical Units, or 169,276,274 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of asteroid 4 Vesta, i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of asteroid 4 Vesta at epoch February, 24 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.08875750 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 7.13925798° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.15330084 AU 322,129,221 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
2.57277559 AU 384,881,751 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.36303821 AU 353,505,486 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.6326 years 1,326.7972 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | December 27, 2021 2,459,576.1719 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | August 15, 2025 2,460,902.9691 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 151.59916398802° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 103.75730014935° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 115.13298959749° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.27133009°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of asteroid 4 Vesta relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
Physical Properties
The table below lists the known key physical properties of asteroid 4 Vesta. The source for this data is the JPL Small-Body Database.
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 530 km | 0.0416 |
| Sideral Rotation | 5.3420 hours | 0.2232 |
| Absolute Magnitude | 3.2 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.4228 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of asteroid 4 Vesta computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 05 2025 | 14h 27m 15s | -07° 32’ 54” | 6.76 | Virgo |
| Jul 06 2025 | 14h 27m 45s | -07° 40’ 48” | 6.78 | Virgo |
| Jul 07 2025 | 14h 28m 15s | -07° 48’ 48” | 6.80 | Virgo |
| Jul 08 2025 | 14h 28m 48s | -07° 56’ 53” | 6.82 | Virgo |
| Jul 09 2025 | 14h 29m 22s | -08° 05’ 02” | 6.83 | Virgo |
| Jul 10 2025 | 14h 29m 57s | -08° 13’ 16” | 6.85 | Virgo |
| Jul 11 2025 | 14h 30m 34s | -08° 21’ 35” | 6.87 | Virgo |
| Jul 12 2025 | 14h 31m 13s | -08° 29’ 57” | 6.88 | Virgo |
| Jul 13 2025 | 14h 31m 53s | -08° 38’ 25” | 6.90 | Virgo |
| Jul 14 2025 | 14h 32m 34s | -08° 46’ 56” | 6.92 | Libra |
| Jul 15 2025 | 14h 33m 17s | -08° 55’ 31” | 6.93 | Libra |
| Jul 16 2025 | 14h 34m 02s | -09° 04’ 08” | 6.95 | Libra |
| Jul 17 2025 | 14h 34m 48s | -09° 12’ 50” | 6.97 | Libra |
| Jul 18 2025 | 14h 35m 35s | -09° 21’ 35” | 6.98 | Libra |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 4 Vesta: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is asteroid 4 Vesta?: Key information on where to find asteroid 4 Vesta in the sky.
- Distance of asteroid 4 Vesta from Earth: Find out how far asteroid 4 Vesta is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is asteroid 4 Vesta?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of asteroid 4 Vesta from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of asteroid 4 Vesta's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of asteroid 4 Vesta's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days asteroid 4 Vesta's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about asteroid 4 Vesta orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of asteroid 4 Vesta with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- Physical Data: Detailed information about physical properties of asteroid 4 Vesta.