LK

jstn:

Vesta, the second largest object in the asteroid belt, in the first picture from the Dawn spacecraft. Vesta is a remnant protoplanet with a mean diameter of 330 miles.

Dawn will reach Vesta in July, enter its orbit, then proceed to Ceres (a dwarf planet and the largest and most massive object in the asteroid belt, thought to have water below its surface). Dawn will be the first spacecraft to enter the orbit of one celestial body, leave under power, and then enter the orbit of another.