We'll be at the asteroid long enough for its 'seasons' to reveal the rest of it anyway.

Sorry to correct you, kap, but see here for an example. With tilted axis, each pole stays dark for half an orbit and then in the light for another half.

Taking into account that a couple of weeks ago we imaged the south pole, it is impossible that it is now in the dark. What you (don't) see here is the north pole in the dark and part of the northern equatorial region.

Regards

Ah I see, I just wrote a whole post about how I thought the dark area in this image: http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/dawn_v...mage_072311.asp was the south pole and the image was upside down, but I just looked at it some more and I was incorrect, I just don't think I had the correct perspective in my head.

-kap

Thankfully, Vesta has a nice, clearly visible marker for where the south pole is

Yeah, I think the only big body in the solar system that does a nicer job of providing a visual marker of its coordinate system is Iapetus!

Ah, that is the inclination of the orbit to the ecliptic. The same article states an axial tilt of 29 degrees. Axial tilt is usually stated relative to the orbital plane of the object and not the ecliptic.

Almost like the thread on a lightbulb. Where in the solar system do you suppose it was screwed in?

Yeah, are we seeing some of Jutzi & Asphaug's (2011) "Mega Ejecta" here?

P

how things change! this was the first map of Vesta ever, compiled in 1983 from monitoring its spectrum over one rotation

Nice one! This map was made by Michael Gaffey by studying how the reflection spectrum changed as Vesta rotates. As he used an incorrect rotation period (twice the true period) it can't be easily compared with new maps, his features must be distributed differently. This specific map is a redrawing for Sky and Telescope. The original is in his abstract for LPSC in 1983, and it shows something not seen here... the south pole was tilted away from Earth at the time of observation, so here the map says 'no data' but Gaffey's original map labelled it "Here there be dragons". So now you know what lives in the south pole... sounds like the mountain should be called The Lonely Mountain.

Phil

the "here be dragons" map is here http://cdsads.u-strasbg.fr/abs/1983LPICo.497...14G

Don't forget Saturn's thoughtful provision of a marker denoting both its equator and the orbital plane of its family of moons.

Here is a magnified and sharpened look at the far right rim, giving a good cross section of the large trough. Another deep crater and a mountain which promises to be spectacular when we have a closer look. I added some sky to the picture so there is a less cramped feeling to the image.

The progressive orbit reduction through engine-controlled spiraling is clearly ongoing:

Press conference starting...