vesta

4 Vesta is the second most massive body in the main asteroid belt, accounting for almost nine percent of the total mass of all asteroids. Only dwarf planet Ceres is more massive in that region of rocky debris between Mars and Jupiter. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft circled Vesta from July 16, 2011 until Sept. 5, 2012, when it departed and began its journey to dwarf planet Ceres.

The giant asteroid is almost spherical, and so is nearly classified a dwarf planet. Unlike most known asteroids, Vesta has separated into crust, mantle and core (a characteristic known as being differentiated), much like Earth.