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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Vesta in natural color

Vesta in natural color
Vesta in natural color Vesta is a colorful world; craters of a variety of ages make splashes of lighter and darker brown against its surface. This photo was processed from data acquired on July 24, 2011, from a distance of about 5200 kilometers, during the third "rotation characterization" observation by Dawn. NASA / JPL / MPS / DLR / IDA / Björn Jónsson

Read this blog entry for more information on the processing required to make this global view.

The view above is in natural color. The one below employs a wider range of wavelengths than the human eye can see, in order to emphasize color variations across the surface.

Vesta in enhanced color
Vesta in enhanced color Images taken through two infrared filters (918 and 749 nanometers) and a blue filter were combined in order to emphasize color differences across Vesta. Particularly noticeable is a bright orange splash around the crater Oppia in the center. The data were taken from a distance of 5200 kilometers on July 24, 2011.Image: NASA / JPL / MPS / DLR / IDA / Björn Jónsson