Asteroid outside the window: the passage of Vesta can be seen with the naked eye. Asteroid Vesta: meaning in astrology, observations Studying the asteroid Vesta
The asteroid Vesta is a celestial wanderer that has survived more than one large-scale catastrophe, which has left us with many interesting space artifacts.
Vesta has become number 4 in order of discovery in the main asteroid belt. It was noticed by the German astronomer Heinrich Olbers in 1807. It owes its name to the greatest mathematician Carl Gauss, it was he who proposed to name the found asteroid after the patroness of the family and hearth from Ancient Rome.
Location and characteristics
Vesta is located in a wide asteroid belt located between Jupiter and Mars. It is filled with cosmic bodies of various sizes and a significant number of small planets.
The asteroid Vesta is the second largest among its neighbors (530 km), it is only 2 km in diameter behind Pallas. But in terms of mass, he overtook everyone - 2.59x10 in 20 kg - this figure became the largest among similar objects, after Ceres was classified as a dwarf planet. The temperature on the asteroid varies seasonally: in winter this figure is about -190 degrees, and in summer - 3 degrees below 0. The eastern region has a high reflectivity, and in the western part there are darker areas of basalt rocks.
Surface and subsoil
Topographic map of the asteroid Vesta, showing the relief of the northern and southern hemispheres. Compiled from photographs taken between July 17, 2011 and August 26, 2012 by NASA's DAWN spacecraft.
At the beginning of its formation, Vesta had an iron core and a stone mantle, which partially melted under the influence of internal heat. Over time, cooling occurred and a large amount of minerals appeared. This fact is confirmed by meteorites found on Earth that left the asteroid after powerful impacts. The surface of Vesta was subjected to several large-scale attacks, leaving behind hundreds of kilometers of craters. The study of their consequences is carried out with the help of the Hubble telescope and the Dawn apparatus.
The largest crater is located in the southern part, its size is 460 km, and the mountain formation along the perimeter rises to 18 km. This rock was pushed out by an impact of colossal force, its height is twice the height of Everest.
The huge crater, like all the others on the asteroid, is named after the famous Roman matron, it bears the name Rhea Sylvia. Many other, smaller craters have also been found here. Another structure on the surface that is indicative of catastrophic collisions is a system of troughs at the equator. The longest is called Diwalia, it has a length of 465 km and a depth of up to 5 km.
3D map of Vesta
Shards of disaster
The shape of the asteroid is close to spherical, as its uniformity was disturbed by a powerful collision with another celestial body more than 2 billion years ago. Fragments of Vesta left its surface and formed a family of class V asteroids. Their dimensions are significantly inferior to the size of the main object and do not exceed 10 km in diameter. Scientists have counted the number of these cosmic bodies, in 2005 it was 6051. Part of the meteorites circles in the space of the Universe, and those that hit the Earth brought important information about their progenitor Vesta.
Digital model of the asteroid Vesta
This is interesting
High reflective data made the asteroid one of the brightest celestial bodies. Vesta is visible to us without optical approximation. The asteroid is the same age as the solar system, and in terms of geological composition it is close to the terrestrial planets. Explorations by the Dawn space probe, which took place in 2011-2012, produced many images of the surface and made it possible to create a detailed map of it. Only after the apparatus approached the asteroid, scientists were able to calculate its exact mass.
Vesta is an asteroid that is curious in many ways. This is the only such object that can be seen with the naked eye. In terms of mass and size, Vesta surpasses most other known asteroids in the space between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. In terms of its parameters, it is even closer to being located in the Main Vesta refers to bodies formed approximately in the same period as the Earth, which means it can tell a lot about the distant past of our system.
Opening
Vesta is an asteroid discovered during the search for a planet between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. According to the theory, the distribution of orbits in space around the Sun obeys a certain pattern. All planets known at the beginning of the 19th century fit into this theory. The only exceptions were Jupiter and Mars. The huge space between them was supposed to hide an unknown planet. During her search, many elements of the Main Asteroid Belt were discovered.
Vesta was discovered in 1807 by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers. Another scientist, Carl Gauss, gave her the name of the ancient Roman goddess of the hearth. The name stuck and is still in use today.
Parameters
After Ceres was classified as a dwarf planet, Vesta is the second largest asteroid after Pallas in size. Its parameters are 578×560×458 km. A noticeable asymmetry in shape does not allow Vesta to be classified as a dwarf planet. In terms of mass (2.59 * 10 20 kg), it is ahead of Pallas, that is, in the Main Asteroid Belt, only the same Ceres surpasses it in this parameter.
Does the asteroid Vesta have an atmosphere?
Asteroids are not just distinguished into a separate class of cosmic bodies. They differ from the planets in a number of parameters: size, shape, mass, and so on. Signs characteristic of an asteroid do not allow it to hold a gaseous shell. Therefore, the answer to the question “does the asteroid Vesta have an atmosphere” is negative. An extremely rarefied gas envelope exists on Ceres. Other bodies in the Main Belt cannot boast such a characteristic, like the asteroid Vesta. It has an atmosphere of Earth, Venus, Mars, gas giants and some satellites. Asteroids are too small for that.
How to see the asteroid Vesta?
Vesta due to the brightness can be seen with the naked eye. Although it is inferior in size to Ceres and Pallas, it is characterized by a greater reflectivity. Other asteroids from the Earth cannot be seen without special equipment.
The best time to look for an asteroid in the sky is during opposition days, when it comes closest to Earth. During these periods, its brightness increases to 5.1 m (the minimum value of this parameter is 8.5 m). The last time such a confrontation occurred in April 2014.
Vesta approaches the minimum distance to our planet every 3-4 years. Without a telescope, it can be seen only in conditions of good visibility. However, it does not differ from ordinary stars.
Motion
Vesta's orbit lies in the inner part of the main asteroid belt. Its shape is only slightly elongated - it is an almost perfect circle. The orbit is characterized by a slight inclination to the plane of the ecliptic. Vesta completes one revolution around the Sun in 3.6 years. At the same time, during its movement, the asteroid does not cross the orbit of our planet.
Automatic interplanetary station Dawn
In 2011, in July, Vesta passed the minimum distance to our planet. This period was used to study the asteroid in detail. Back in 2007, AMS Dawn went to Vesta. The mission of the apparatus is to study this asteroid, as well as the dwarf planet Ceres.
Dawn entered the circular orbit of Vesta on July 16, 2011. By December 12, he reached the minimum height above the asteroid. Among the tasks of the apparatus were the measurement of the gravitational field, the determination of the spectrum of neutrons and gamma rays that appear when cosmic rays fall on the asteroid Vesta. Photos of the object began to arrive on Earth on December 13th.
AMS Dawn left the 2012 asteroid and went to Ceres. To date (December 2015), the device continues its work in orbit of a dwarf planet.
Sight
Vesta is an asteroid carefully "examined" by the Hubble telescope. Research was carried out in the 90s of the last century. "Hubble" studied the surface of the asteroid. The most impressive detail of the relief turned out to be a giant crater, later named Rheasilvia. The trace, supposedly left from the collision, is characterized by a diameter of 460 km and a depth of 13 km. Scientists still cannot answer the question of how Vesta was able to survive such a blow.
AMS Dawn also studied the condition of the crater. According to scientists, Rheasilvia was formed 1 billion years ago. The basin of the crater partially hides the trace of another more ancient impact, called the Veneneia crater. In the center of Rheasilvia there is a mountain 22 km high and 180 km in diameter. In terms of its parameters, it is ahead of the giant Olympus on Mars, previously considered the highest known mountain in the solar system.
Scientists suggest that the material ejected upon impact served as the material for the emergence of objects of the Vesta family and class V asteroids.
Researchers turn their attention to such objects, because they can tell a lot about the time when the solar system was just being formed. Vesta is an asteroid similar in composition to terrestrial planets. Most likely, its study will tell astronomers a lot about the distant past of our piece of the Galaxy.
> > Vesta
Vesta- a large belt asteroid between Mars and Jupiter: dimensions, mass, detection, role of Kepler, Bode and Olbers, surface, composition, study with photo.
Vesta ranks second in terms of massiveness in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, behind Ceres (belongs to the class of dwarf planets). This is the brightest asteroid, so sometimes it can be found without the use of magnifying instruments. In 2011, Vestu found the Dawn.
Sky Police and the asteroid Vesta
In 1596, Johannes Kepler calculated the elliptical shape of planetary orbits and found that there must be another planet between Mars and Jupiter. In 1772, mathematical calculations from Johann Bode came out supporting these conclusions. Interestingly, in 1789, several scientists created the Celestial Police group, engaged in the search for the missing planet. Among them was Heinrich Olbers, who managed to detect the asteroid Pallas. In describing his theory, he pointed out that Ceres and Pallas are able to act as fragments from a previously large planet. Check out the photo of the asteroid Vesta below.
Olbers believed that these fragments should intersect at the point of explosion and along the orbital path. He observed these points and on March 29, 1807 he spotted West. He became the first person to find two asteroids. The scientist sent his notes to Karl Gaus, who determined the orbit of Pallas in 10 hours.
Physical characteristics of the asteroid Vesta
Vesta is considered a unique asteroid due to its dark and bright spots, reminiscent of the lunar surface. Basalt areas are present, which means that lava flowed through them earlier. The object is endowed with an irregular shape (flattened). Interestingly, the asteroid Vesta has a nearly circular orbit. The size and rotation characteristics are described below.
- Diameter: 530 km.
- Massiveness: 2.67 × 10 20 kg.
- Temperature mark: from -188°C to -18°C.
- Albedo: 0.4322.
- Rotation period: 5.342 hours.
- Orbital period: 3.63 years
- Aphelion: 2.57 AU
- Perihelion: 2.15 AU
- Maximum approach to the Earth: 1.14 AU
Surface, composition and formation of the asteroid Vesta
In 1996, Vesta approached the Earth, and the Hubble Space Telescope was able to capture its topographic surface layer along with the formations in the photo. A large crater appeared on the territory of the south pole with a diameter of 460 km (Vesta extends only 530 km). The crater goes 13 km deep and most likely appeared during an ancient impact. The impact ripped out the material, which is thrown into orbit and orbits the asteroid.
Unlike other asteroids, the interior of the asteroid Vesta is differentiated. That is, there is a crust of cooled lava, a rocky mantle, and an iron-nickel core. This speaks in favor of the fact that we have a protoplanet in front of us.
The core evolved in the first 10 million years after the formation of the system. The basalt crust also developed rapidly. Volcanic eruptions flowed from the mantle for 8-60 hours. Lava flows could spread for kilometers with a thickness of 5-20 m.
In 1960, a piece of Vesta flew over Australia. The fragment consisted entirely of pyroxene (found in lava flows) and carried the spectral signals of Vesta. In 2012, the Dawn spacecraft flew to the asteroid. On the surface fixed a huge amount of hydrogen. I also found bright areas with a high reflectivity. It is believed that it was created more than 4 billion years ago.
Visitors from the asteroid Vesta
Vesta has a unique composition, so its meteorites are easy to identify. These are HED objects represented by eucrites (hardened lava), diogenites (from below the surface) and howardites (a mixture of both). More details are shown by the map of the asteroid Vesta.
If Vesta's orbit is beyond Mars, how did the debris reach Earth? Meteorites pass Jupiter in three orbits around the Sun and feel the pull of the giant.
Exploring the asteroid Vesta
In 2007, NASA launched the Dawn mission to visit Vesta and Ceres. This is a unique device, as it was the first time it traveled through two asteroid orbits at once. He arrived at Vesta in 2011, and at Ceres in 2015.
Dawn's mission is to explore the characteristics of the early system through the analysis of two distinct asteroids. Ceres is humid, with seasonal polar caps and is capable of having a thin atmospheric layer. Vesta is a dry and rocky object.
In size, they are more like protoplanets, but Jupiter's gravity stopped their formation. In October 2010, the Hubble telescope again displayed Vesta in the photo. The new data showed that the tilt of the axis is 4 degrees more than the previous assumptions.
A new frontier in the development of human civilization is the exploration of the vast and full of mysteries of space. We take thousands of steps to unraveling, and one of them is the study of the asteroid Vesta, which has exceptional features compared to other celestial bodies.
Asteroid Vesta
It is one of the most massive objects in the vast asteroid belt that stretches between Mars and Jupiter. One revolution around the Sun takes almost 4 years, around its own axis - 5 hours, and the acceleration of free fall is almost 5 times less than on Earth. The asteroid shares its name with the Roman goddess of the family hearth, Vesta. It got its name from the notorious Karl Gauss. By the way, Phaethon, which will be discussed later, is also named after a mythical god, and the first discovered asteroids are only named after goddesses (for example, Vesta, Juno, Ceres, Pallas and others).
Vesta is the only asteroid that is visible to the naked eye from Earth (under normal weather conditions). This is facilitated by a bright surface, large size and the ability to approach our planet relatively close. At the same time, its shape is far from ideal - round, Vesta did not have enough gravity to "polish" its surface.
Origin hypothesis
March 29, 1807 (almost 200 years ago) Heinrich Olbers discovered the asteroid Vesta. Incomparable with other celestial bodies in the asteroid belt, the brightness and the alleged origin make it one of the most interesting objects to study.
The generally accepted version says that Vesta is a fragment of the planet Phaeton, which can now only be imagined: the entire asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is its fragments. But is it?
At the end of the 18th century, German scientists discovered a pattern in the distances between the planets and the Sun. All known planets fell under the revealed rule with one exception: there seemed to be a gap between Mars and Jupiter - according to calculations, there should have been an orbit of another planet. A few years later, astronomers found it, exactly in the place where it was supposed, and called it Ceres. But the story didn't end there either. In subsequent years, 4 more large objects were discovered, including the asteroid Vesta, orbiting approximately in the same orbit as Ceres. Heinrich Olbers, who discovered Vesta, became the founder of the hypothesis: next to Jupiter there used to be another planet, Phaeton, which had broken into pieces.
Phaeton - a myth?
This idea was picked up by the world community and developed in various directions. In the last century, scientists calculated that Phaethon could have been nearly 7,000 kilometers in diameter, making it even larger than Mars. The catastrophe is separated from the present time by 16 million years.
On the other hand, all of the above are only hypotheses. The date is not exact, the causes of the cataclysm are debatable. Someone says that volcanoes were to blame, literally destroying the planet from the inside. Some argue that Phaethon was torn apart by centrifugal force, someone is sure that if such a planet existed, then it simply shattered into pieces due to a collision with its own satellite. We will talk about the theory of alien interference, which has no less followers, later.
But there are, as always happens with hypotheses, opponents of the very existence of Phaethon: the opposing theory says that the asteroid belt near Mars is not fragments, but pieces of a planet that failed to form (as the big bang theory says, all the planets were once rarefied matter until they formed into real objects due to collapse).
In astrology
Along with other celestial bodies in astrology, the asteroid Vesta also has its own meaning. Astrologers define it as serving the highest ideals, the desire not to create something new, but to renew, revive the old. In a negative sense - to block the road to renewal.
Vesta, Juno, Lada, Eros, Phaedra - all these are asteroids of the love series. Their main meaning is connected and reflected in the love life of a person. What does the asteroid Vesta mean in the list of celestial bodies that affect you in the love series? That you will have to keep chastity in the name of a higher goal, sacrifice your intimate life, and not always voluntarily.
At the same time, it is necessary to understand that individually asteroids do not have a global significance in astrology, they can only be "shades", only additional, specifying sources of information.
Modern research
In 2007, the Dawn space station was launched, one of its probes explored the asteroid Vesta in 2011 and 2012, but the data has not yet been fully used. In 2016, a huge number of ice formations were discovered inside Ceres, which gave reason to look for them on Vesta. But the amount of H 2 on its surface is 100 times less, which did not give confidence in the presence of water on the asteroid.
In new studies using the same bistatic radar data, scientists have revisited the existence of ice on Vesta. Having received information about its surface in centimeter resolution, they noted the variability of the properties and shape of the asteroid over the entire area and a little later established: yes, there is ice on Vesta. And it is he who is the reason for such heterogeneity in the structure.
These studies will help in the future to understand how water is transported in space and how to prevent its shortage in arid regions on Earth.
Observations from Earth
As already mentioned, Vesta can be observed from Earth with the naked eye. This is best done during a confrontation.
During opposition, the observed object is exactly between the Earth and the Sun. The object is fully lit and as close as possible. For example, on January 18, 2017, the asteroid Vesta approached the Earth at 229 million kilometers (which is a microscopic distance for space). This approach was possible precisely because of the confrontation. A photo of the asteroid Vesta is posted in the article.
Observations of the asteroid Vesta could be carried out in Moscow from 5 pm to 7 am. It was observed in the constellation Cancer with the naked eye.
In 1960, Vesta was already observed in Australia. Moreover, fragments of an asteroid fell to Earth. Meteorites were discovered 10 years after that, and their unusual structure and composition (pyroxene, which is usually found in lava) determined that they belong to Vesta.
Asteroid Vesta - the birthplace of aliens?
More precisely, Phaeton. If such a planet really existed, then many are sure that there was life on it, moreover, intelligent life.
In one of the images sent by Dawn, you can see what looks like a shattered disk crashing into the surface of Vesta. All people's ideas about the vehicles of aliens one way or another converge to "flying saucers". The object that pierced into the asteroid is just very similar to such a "dish".
Of course, this theory quickly resonated with the people. One of the versions suggests the presence of a highly developed civilization that visited the Earth, the other - that the Phaetonians, in general, moved to it and became earthlings.
Phaeton was used several times in literature: writers convince that the planet was destroyed directly by its inhabitants, starting a thermonuclear war.
Vesta's chastity is associated with the sign of Virgo, but she also has an affinity with the sign of Scorpio. In the original Zodiac of Assyrian culture there was no constellation of Libra: Virgo was followed by Scorpio, and what later became Libra were the claws of Scorpio. The symbols of Virgo and Scorpio are similar, only the sign of Virgo is directed inward, and Scorpio is directed outward. The Great Mother Goddess symbolized both the chastity of the Virgin and the marriage of Scorpio at the same time. And only in a patriarchal culture did the Libra marriage sign create an artificial division of female roles (virginity before marriage and sexuality after). The discovery of Vesta shows the possibility of combining these two themes in one archetype.
The Vestals of late Rome appear before us as nuns, engaged only in work and religious service, whose life is devoid of personal relationships. This image has come down to us as the image of an old maid. However, this interpretation does not work in horoscopes: we often find a good position of Vesta in sexually active women and men. However, this sexuality is not limited to the traditional family, but refers to the ancient rituals of the priestesses of Vesta, who used their sexuality not to find a husband, but to serve the moon goddess and bless those who are devoted to her. Their sexual idealism aims to achieve ecstatic states. Modern society still does not understand the purity of such motivation.
People like Vesta are highly sensitive to the sexual needs of a woman, while at the same time their nature encourages them to remain in themselves and avoid long-term attachments. Such people may express open rebellion against traditional mores, followed by feelings of guilt and remorse for their actions. The pathology associated with Vesta is the association of sex with fear (the horror of the Great Mother described by Freud).
In the Olympic family, Vesta is considered the eldest child of Saturn. Its relationship with Saturn confirms the fact that they rule the earth signs of Virgo and Capricorn. Both express the principles of limitation, limit, focus, and mission. The sexual restrictions reflected by Vesta are like the intense aspects of Saturn to Venus and Mars. Mars affected by Vesta may reflect physical or psychological impotence. Aggression can serve as compensation. The defeat of Venus or Juno may indicate a woman's frigidity or that she feels incapable of love. Compensation can be feigned independence. In both cases, the defeat of Vesta indicates an inability to share oneself with others (to give oneself to another). At the same time, the potential partner appears to be a rude, demanding tyrant.
In general, Vesta reflects the principle of sex as a means of spiritual service. However, in the modern soul, it often presents a wide range of sexual difficulties resulting from the suppression of natural instincts.
In Leo, sexual energy works as the creative principle of self-reproduction. In Virgo, the energy of reproduction is used spiritually for the sake of transformation and renewal of oneself. Through Vesta, the transition from Leo to Virgo is carried out. The Vesta type can sublimate and transform sexual energy into one-pointed focus and dedication to work. Virginity implies perfection in oneself, self-control and self-sufficiency. Therefore, it is not barren, but very fruitful. To renew their purity and wholeness, the Vestals bathed in sacred springs and withdrew into themselves, and transits to Vesta may mark a time of inner purification and reintegration.
As the principle of focus, Vesta collects energy and directs it to one point. With Vesta afflicted, the focus may be blurred and vague, or, at the other extreme, overly defined and give rise to a narrow and limited vision of the world. Through self-determination, man is able to dedicate himself to a goal. The defeat of Vesta may indicate that a person is afraid to make commitments or is unable to fulfill them. Vesta can also mean the work of a person in the sense of his path, the fulfillment by him of his dharma. This focus goes beyond the personal and extends to society and the planet. If a person is unable to perform this type of work, it can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. Thus, Vesta also indicates the sacrifices that a person must make in order to follow the chosen path.
Describes 12 styles of focus, commitment, and what we must give up in order to fulfill our life purpose. She also describes a way of handling sexual energy: its freedom, sublimation or suppression.
Vesta in houses indicates an area of obligation or commitment, as well as an area of limitation.
Vesta in houses
Vesta in 1 house
Through a strong focus on self-determination or pursuing one's own goals, there may be a tendency to exclude long-term relationships from one's life. One-pointedness and abstinence can lead to significant gains. Loyalty to yourself.
Vesta in the 2nd house
The ability to generate resources to provide and support yourself and loved ones. There may be limits in money, comfort and feelings so that the tension created leads to the study of the art of self-manifestation.
Vesta in the 3rd house
The purpose of an advanced mind is to spread information to others. There may be restrictions in communication in order to clarify one's own ideas. If a person is critical of himself, he may experience a feeling of inferiority of his intellect. This position is characterized by work with the intellect.
Vesta in the 4th house
Devotion to home and family. Often, the additional responsibility in the home in youth develops into responsibilities towards the family later. Such a person may experience limitations in personal freedom because of these obligations. An efficient and skilled approach to household chores is required.
Vesta in the 5th house
A call to personal creative expression - in children or art forms. Alienation from children, romance, and pleasure may be present. Due to the excessive sublimation of sexual energy, barriers may arise in this area. There is a need for a creative profession or something that puts a person in the spotlight.
Vesta in the 6th house
Dedication to work and efficient functioning. Health problems can draw attention to self-medication, nutritional care, and bodily exercise. The incentive to improve can lead to very good performance.
Vesta in the 7th house
A call to work in cooperation. Since Vesta craves self-fulfillment and independence, conflict can arise in cases where a compromise is required. Often a person is overly absorbed in interaction.
Vesta in the 8th house
A call to psychic and occult activities or deep engagement with others. It may also be difficult for such people to find someone who matches their sexual intensity, and thus they may feel limited in this area. Difficulties with others over the distribution of resources - money and energy - can lead to learning the ability to give up personal desires and share property.
Vesta in the 9th house
A call to seek the truth. Too much focus on a belief system can lead to political or religious bigotry. Limitation of breadth of horizons. The ideal image must be found in the material world.
Vesta in the 10th house
Devotion to a career or position in society. Being close to the MC can indicate a spiritual calling. There may be difficulty in finding a satisfying destination and path if critical faculties are developed. Potential talents are monstrous discipline, thoroughness, and the will to work hard.
Vesta in the 11th house
A call to group interaction. There may be restrictions in friends or companies, and from this a person understands the value of others in his life. There is a need to merge hopes and desires together so that a person can devote himself to the ideal.
Vesta in the 12th house
Dedication to selfless service and adherence to spiritual values. There is a strong subconscious need for isolation and withdrawal in order to develop deep faith. Persecution for religious beliefs or fear of past mistakes can cause fear of penetration into the spiritual nature. There may be subconscious sexual fears and barriers that are overcome by connecting the desire for the infinite with a practical appreciation of the physical world and its limitations.