Asteroid 4 Vesta Ephemeris Calculator
Compute the position of Asteroid 4 Vesta for any date and time between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499 and display the results on an interactive star map.
In Evidence
Asteroid 4 Vesta
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.
Asteroid 4 Vesta is currently in the constellation of Taurus. The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 4 Vesta is 03h 32m 54s and the Declination is +14° 28’ 39” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom ). The current magnitude of Asteroid 4 Vesta is 8.42 (JPL).
Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 4 Vesta from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 4 Vesta is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 49° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 4 Vesta is visible with the help of a binocular with a 30-40mm aperture, easy with a small telescope.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Asteroid 4 Vesta Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Asteroid 4 Vesta finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 4 Vesta is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 4 Vesta?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 4 Vesta in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Asteroid 4 Vesta Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 4 Vesta from Earth is currently 511,909,313 kilometers, equivalent to 3.421902 Astronomical Units. Light takes 28 minutes and 27.5457 seconds to travel from Asteroid 4 Vesta and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 4 Vesta from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 4 Vesta from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Asteroid 4 Vesta to Earth
Between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499, the closest approach of Asteroid 4 Vesta to Earth happens on Thu Jun 23 2439 at a distance of 1.131542 Astronomical Units, or 169,276,274 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Asteroid 4 Vesta Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 4 Vesta, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Asteroid 4 Vesta Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 4 Vesta at epoch 24 February 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 | 2021-Dec-27 16:07:29 2,459,576.1719 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2025-Aug-15 11:15 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 |
Visualization of Asteroid 4 Vesta Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 4 Vesta with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 4 Vesta and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Asteroid 4 Vesta in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Asteroid 4 Vesta Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 4 Vesta. Source: 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 |
Asteroid 4 Vesta 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 4 Vesta in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Jun 03 | 03h 20m 03s | +13° 38’ 53” | 8.39 | Aries |
| 2023 Jun 04 | 03h 21m 47s | +13° 45’ 47” | 8.39 | Aries |
| 2023 Jun 05 | 03h 23m 30s | +13° 52’ 35” | 8.40 | Aries |
| 2023 Jun 06 | 03h 25m 13s | +13° 59’ 20” | 8.40 | Taurus |
| 2023 Jun 07 | 03h 26m 56s | +14° 05’ 58” | 8.41 | Taurus |
| 2023 Jun 08 | 03h 28m 37s | +14° 12’ 34” | 8.41 | Taurus |
| 2023 Jun 09 | 03h 30m 20s | +14° 19’ 05” | 8.41 | Taurus |
| 2023 Jun 10 | 03h 32m 03s | +14° 25’ 32” | 8.42 | Taurus |
| 2023 Jun 11 | 03h 33m 47s | +14° 31’ 54” | 8.42 | Taurus |
| 2023 Jun 12 | 03h 35m 30s | +14° 38’ 12” | 8.43 | Taurus |
| 2023 Jun 13 | 03h 37m 12s | +14° 44’ 25” | 8.43 | Taurus |
| 2023 Jun 14 | 03h 38m 54s | +14° 50’ 34” | 8.43 | Taurus |
| 2023 Jun 15 | 03h 40m 37s | +14° 56’ 38” | 8.44 | Taurus |
| 2023 Jun 16 | 03h 42m 20s | +15° 02’ 36” | 8.44 | Taurus |