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2 Pallas
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Pallas is the third-largest asteroid in the Solar System by volume and mass. It is the second asteroid to have been discovered, after Ceres, and is likely a remnant protoplanet. Like Ceres, it is beli
High-resolution images of the north (at left) and south (at right) hemispheres of Pallas, made possible by the Adaptive-Optics (AO)-fed SPHERE imager
High-resolution images of the north (at left) and south (at right) hemispheres of Pallas, made possible by the Adaptive-Optics (AO)-fed SPHERE imager on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in 2020. Two large impact basins could have been created by Palladian asteroid–forming impacts. The bright spot in the southern hemisphere is reminiscent of the salt deposits on Ceres.
Relative sizes of the four largest asteroids. Pallas is second from right.
Relative sizes of the four largest asteroids. Pallas is second from right.
An ultraviolet image of Pallas showing its flattened shape, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2007
An ultraviolet image of Pallas showing its flattened shape, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2007
Objects considered for dwarf planet status under the IAU's 2006 draft proposal on the definition of a planet. Pallas is second from the right, bottom
Objects considered for dwarf planet status under the IAU's 2006 draft proposal on the definition of a planet. Pallas is second from the right, bottom row.
4 Vesta
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Vesta is one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt, with a mean diameter of 525 kilometres. It was discovered by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers on 29 March 1807 and is na
2 Pallas
…believed to have a mineral composition similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, though significantly less hydrated than Ceres. It is 79% the mass of Vesta and 22% the mass of Ceres, constituting an estimated 7% of the total mass of the asteroid belt. Its estimated volume is equivalent to a sphere 507 to…
True color image of Vesta taken by Dawn. The vast Rheasilvia Crater dominates Vesta's south pole.
True color image of Vesta taken by Dawn. The vast Rheasilvia Crater dominates Vesta's south pole.
Vesta, Ceres, and the Moon with sizes shown to scale
Vesta, Ceres, and the Moon with sizes shown to scale
SPHERE image is shown on the left, with a synthetic view derived from Dawn images shown on the right for comparison.
SPHERE image is shown on the left, with a synthetic view derived from Dawn images shown on the right for comparison.
Claudia crater (indicated by the arrow at the bottom of the closeup image at right) defines the prime meridian in the Dawn/NASA coordinate system.
Claudia crater (indicated by the arrow at the bottom of the closeup image at right) defines the prime meridian in the Dawn/NASA coordinate system.