Put your 3-D glasses on

If you've ever wondered what it's like to be in orbit around a big asteroid, put on your red-blue pair and look at this image of Vesta.  It's positively science-fictional.  But it's real.



Full-size 3D anaglyph of Vesta
"At the time the distance from Dawn to Vesta was about 5,200 kilometers (3,200 miles), which results in an image resolution of about 500 meters (1,600 feet) per pixel. The depth effect or topography differences in this anaglyph were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. A number of Vesta's large features are clear in this anaglyph. Firstly, the equatorial troughs are visible around Vesta's equator. These troughs encircle most of the asteroid and are up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide. Secondly, to the north of these troughs there are a number of highly degraded, old, large craters. Vesta's heavily cratered nature is clear from this anaglyph because younger, fresher craters are overlain onto many sets of older, more degraded craters. Due to Vesta's angle towards the Sun the northernmost part of Vesta has yet to be illuminated and studied and is shown in shadow in this anaglyph. Finally, in the southern hemisphere there are generally fewer craters than in the northern hemisphere. Also visible protruding out from Vesta's south polar region is a side view of the central complex of the Rheasilvia impact basin."