Minor Planet Vesta

blink January 21st and 24th, 1999

Date: 21./24.01.99 Time: 02:39 / 0:57 UT Exposure: 15 min Field of View: 3.2o x 3.2o Emulsion: Kodak Royal 1000 Select Filter: none Optics: f=135mm 1/4.0 Place: Renshausen Observer: T. Credner

Notes to the data

© Copyright by the observers

Above you can compare two images of a star field in Leo taken at different times. "Blinking" these images shows you the changing position of the minor planet (4) Vesta within three days. Such a blink technique is widely used to find moving objects in rich star fields.

Vesta can reach a quite bright visual brightness of 5.5 mag at opposition (in the image above 6.5 mag). It was discovered in 1807 by W. Olbers and was the fourth found minor planet. The diameter is about 444 km and the orbit lies in the main belt of minor planets between Mars and Jupiter.