The largest protoplanet in the asteroid belt, not big enough to be completely rounded and thus not a Dwarf Planet like Ceres. Brightest object in asteroid belt as seen from Earth. One of few asteroids to have a differentiated composition. Has basaltic lava flows on surface, very similar to that of Earth's Moon. Has a large crater that caused trenches to appear across its equator and only a partial rim due to its fast rotation. This impact over the south polar region could be responsible for the many members of the Vesta family in the solar system and the large amount of meteoroids that arrive at the Earth, where it is the source of 5% of its meteoroids. Orbits in inner asteroid belt, below the frost belt, and lacks water ice that further asteroids possess.
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