Violent collision shaped into Vesta

The new model is based on computer simulations of collisions between asteroid Vesta separated and a couple of rocks from 32 km in diameter in the last billion years. The results suggest that cosmic impacts caused Vesta's crust to melt and then re-form, with its thicker crust than can be explained by typical rock layers, the scientists said.

Collisions carved two large impact craters on the surface of Vesta. The oldest, Veneneia, formed about 2,000 million years. With a diameter of 395 km, the crater covers nearly three quarters of the diameter of Vesta Ecuador. Covering 90% of the diameter of Vesta, is one of the largest craters in the Solar System.

The most accurate calculate of the Universe

Astronomers explore the scale of the universe by first calculating the distance to nearby objects, using them as reference points (standard candles). The close observation of a rare type of double star has allowed a team of astronomers presume a much more accurate value for the distance to LMC: 163,000 light years.

Astronomers, first time directly observed a planet

An international Astronomers team lead by Sascha Quanz from ETH Zurich in Switzerland examined the gas and dust disk around the young star HD 100546, which is located at a distance of only 335 light years in relative closeness to our solar system. The researchers were surprised when they found evidence of a planet that - surrounded in the disk of theme around the young star - is still in the development process. This possible planet would be a gas giant similar to Jupiter in our solar system.