Digital composite showing the comparative sizes of nine asteroids.

• Contributor: Stocktrek Images, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo
• Image ID: D9HE9K
• File size: 50.4 MB (852.6 KB Compressed download)
• Releases: Model - no | Property - no
• Dimensions: 4650 x 3789 px | 39.4 x 32.1 cm | 15.5 x 12.6 inches | 300dpi
• Date taken: 31 October 2011
• Photographer: Stocktrek Images

More information

This composite image shows the comparative sizes of nine asteroids. Up until now, Lutetia, with a diameter of 81 miles (130 kilometers), was the largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft, which occurred during a flyby. Vesta dwarfs all other small bodies in this image. Asteroid Vesta is also considered a protoplanet because it's a large body that almost became a planet and has a diameter of approximately 330 miles.