| Title: |
VESTA - Large Astroid Brightens to View |
| Location: |
Hawaiian Islands & Mainland Viewing |
| Date / Time: |
February 2010 |
| Comments: |
Here's your chance to SPOT AN ASTEROID!
This month provides a perfect opportunity to track VESTA, the sky's brightest asteroid. Vesta, one of the largest, main-belt asteroids, brightens to magnitude 6.1 when it reaches opposition February 17/18. It will be visible to naked eyes from a dark viewing location, in the same binocular field of view as the 2nd-magnitude star Algieba (Gamma Leonis) in Leo. On the night of Feb. 16/17, Vesta passes between Algieba & it's 5th-magnitude southern neighbor, 40 Leonis. Aim your binoculars or low powered scope at Algieba, & you'll find the asteroid between these 2 stars. Algieba, part of Leo's famous "sickle" asterism, is well worth a look through the scope; a glorious double star system, consisting of 2 golden-orange giants, a genuine binary pair.
Vesta was discovered by German astronomer Heinrich Olbers, March 29th, 1807.
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Maintained by Roz Reiner - Kauai, Hawaii
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