Vesta, discovery, characteristics

The observations was made at village of Ca'n Picafort, Mallorca island, Spain the March 26^th of 1988. It was the first asteroid that I've discovered & I located at simple & easy form.

During this date, Vesta was at conjunction to the Moon at first quarter at Gemini constellation. It was located at 20' at north of Moon, only. Its magnitude was 7.5, by the way, more brilliant to corresponded to asteroid kind, It's 1.949 A.U. from Earh & 2.469 A.U. from Sun.

By the way with my telescope, refractor of 90mm. of diameter & 1400mm. of focal distance, I saw Vesta without problems. The planets, satellites & asteroids their lights is fix, but stars their lights are not fix with our eyes, this is a simple form to find it. Next day I saw Vesta at the other position at sky.

By way, discovery date of Vesta asteroid was March 26^th, 1.988; because It was seen at first time for me. Vesta has an orbital period of 3.63 years, an eccentricity of 0.0896 only, almost planetary one. & an ecliptically inclination of 7.14º.

By the other hand, with a Java program that I found on the net, & thanks to Osamu Ajiki of AstroArts Andy Ron Baalke of JPL, you can see the asteroid orbit, distans in relationship to Sun 6 Earth at Solar System for any date.

In classic mythology Vesta it is one old Roman divinity that corresponds with the Greek Hestia. Goddess of the home par excellence, presides over the fire of the house and receives a cult taken care of by ponífice mássimo with the collaboration of the vestales. Like these a virgin goddess is Vesta. Its favourite animal is the ass, which has been wanted to explain making it take part in a delayed legend according to which east animal would have waked up to Vesta with its rebuznos at the moment at which Príapo tried to violate it. With her indentificaba to the Roman divinity Caca.

Vesta