Planetary mystery Vesta

The first images of the asteroid vesta sent from the space probe Dawn were announced by the US Aviation Agency (NASA) on August 1.

The first images sent by Dawn show surprising terrain and some unknown geological features. The chaotic terrain at the South Pole is dominated by a central peak and large trenches extending around the equator.

The grooves around Vesta's equator are thought to form after the giant geological vibrations at Vesta's southern pole. Photos were taken at a distance of 5,200km. (NewScientist Source)

Bright spots, black holes and craters are covered by inexplicable black and white streaks. The grooves in the northern terrain seem to be deeper and wider.

Scientists believe that Vesta formed from a cloud of gas and dust that remained after the formation of the sun 4.65 billion years ago in a crystal superfluous explosion.

After leaving Vesta, Dawn will approach Ceres thanks to an innovative ion-propulsion engine that consumes relatively little energy and only speeds up gradually during flight.

NASA spent $ 466 million on the Vesta asteroid exploration project and Ceres dwarf planet for 10 years.