Minor planet 4 Vesta reaches opposition on 2 May 2025, a time when, for the current period of visibility at least, the object is closest to Earth and at its brightest.
As we approach opposition, towards the end of April is a great time to get acquainted with the patch of sky it’s going to pass through.
If you’ve never seen a minor planet before, you can prep for the task by photographing the area during April.
Alternatively, go old school and, using binoculars or a small telescope on a low power, make a sketch of the stars in the area.
Sketching the stars will really get you connected to this patch of sky.
Start early and get ready
The idea behind recording the star field early is that this will give you a reference frame to compare to images or sketches made when Vesta passes through, offering an easy way to identify the presence of the minor planet.
If you have access to a dark-sky site, another thing you can try is to record the area you can see with the naked eye during a clear, dark night in April.
Obviously, you don’t want any light pollution, either artificial or natural, so the periods 1–4 April and 18–30 April are recommended because there will be less interference from the Moon.
Make sure that your eyesight is properly dark-adapted, keeping your eyes in darkness for at least 20 minutes.
Being relaxed and taking your time helps too, a reclining chair being a great way to achieve this state.
Record as many stars as visible in the area.
To sketch the area, you’ll need to be able to see what you’re recording the stars on.
But to retain your dark-adapted vision, we recommend using a really dim head torch or equivalent for this.
Then, as Vesta passes through the field around opposition from 28 April through to 4 May, the Moon reappearing from 5 May onwards, make your attempt and see whether you can record it with just your eyes.
Peak magnitude is predicted at +5.7, so it should just be possible. We’d recommend using the mag. +4.5 star 16 Librae as the navigational anchor for this attempt.
Using a smart telescope
If you have a smart telescope, imaging Vesta is a fairly trivial exercise.
Search for the object in the control app and the scope will locate it and do all of the imaging for you.
Try to collect as many images from separate nights as you can; these can be loaded into a layer-based editor as separate layers.
Align the stars between layers, rotating if required to compensate for field rotation.
Flicking between layers should clearly show how Vesta moves from one night to the next.
If you observe or photograph asteroid Vesta, share your images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
