Color enhanced image of the asteroid Vesta. The crater is at the bottom of the image encircled by the color blue (representing a depression in the surface of the asteroid). Click on image for full size (64K GIF) Courtesy of NASA

The crater really is gigantic when compared to the size of the asteroid Vesta. If Earth had a crater of proportional size, it would fill most of the Pacific Ocean!

Something large impacted Vesta a long time ago. Vesta lost over half a million cubic miles of rock during the impact. These rocks were thrown out into space. Scientists think that some of this rock fell to the Earth's surface. These rocks from outer space are what we call meteorites.

We don't know where most meteorites come from. So it is exciting for scientists to know that Vesta might be the source of some meteorites.