Vesta minor-planet designation 4 Vesta is one of the largest asteroids in the Solar System with a mean diameter of 525 kilometres (326 mi). It was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on 29 March 1807 and is named after Vesta the virgin goddess of home and hearth from Roman mythology.Vesta is the second-most-massive asteroid after the dwarf planet Ceres and comprises an estimated 9% of the mass of the asteroid belt.The less-massive Pallas is slightly larger making Vesta third in volume.
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