Astronomy Magazine
The first close-up images of the massive asteroid Vesta have revealed a northern hemisphere littered with craters - including a trio nicknamed 'Snowman' - and a smoother southern half. Running along the asteroid's equator are deep grooves - a surprise to scientists who did not expect to see such features.
The images were taken by Nasa's Dawn spacecraft, which began orbiting the 330 mile-wide rocky body last month and has now started to beam back incredible surface details that the team is only beginning to pore over.The Presurfer