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Photographer:

Vincenzo Mirabella

Location of Photo:

Ardea (RM) - Italy

Date/Time of photo:

2025/05/24- 21:01 UT

Equipment:

Newton 406 mm

Description:

The asteroid (4) Vesta, discovered in Germany in 1807 by the astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers, is one of the most studied celestial bodies in our Solar System. With an average diameter of 522.7 km, it is the second largest asteroid in the Main Belt located between Mars and Jupiter. With a maximum apparent magnitude of +5.4 during favorable oppositions, it is the brightest asteroid, being visible even to the naked eye under dark skies. Between May and June 2025 I performed 4 photographic sessions, recording 56 images (14 per night) through my 406mm aperture newton. The dark regions present on the disk represent potential albedo spots related to surface geological features, but they could also be artifacts introduced by the detail enhancement process (or a mix of the two).

Website:

https://telescopius.com/profile/vincenzo-mirabella?order=is_featured

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