Vesta is at opposition on 2008 October 30 when it will rise close to the time of sunset and set close to sunrise. It will then be at magnitude 6.5, a magnitude fainter than the 2007 opposition.

Earlier in the year, Vesta is at conjunction with the Sun on February 20. It will then be at the far side of the Sun as seen from the Earth. As a result of being close to the Sun in the sky, Vesta will not be observable until late March. When it does move far enough from the Sun to see, it will be rising in the morning before sunrise. Towards the end of March it will be close to three planets, Venus, Mercury and Uranus, all within a 5° circle from March 26 to 30. See the Solar System notes for March 2008

Vesta will start the year in Capricornus, but by the time it emerges from morning twilight at the beginning of April it will have moved into Aquarius. It moves on into Pisces mid April and then into Cetus at the beginning of May. See the chart for April and May.

Vesta crosses a corner of Cetus during May and then in early June crosses another corner of Pisces only to move into another part of Cetus early in July! For the rest of the year it stays almost entirely in as Vesta carries out its retrograde loop near the time of opposition, although it briefly returns to Pisces at the end of the year. See the chart for June to December to see how its moves back during its retrograde motion.

Vesta has a diameter of 530 km.   The orbital period is 3.63 years, its distance from the Sun varying between 2.15 and 2.57 AU, the orbit having an eccentricity if 0.09.   The orbit is inclined at 7.1° to the ecliptic.

The opposition distance from the Earth varies between 1.14 AU and 1.57 AU.   At the 2008 opposition, Vesta will be 1.54 AU from the Earth, nearly its maximum. This results in a Vesta being far less bright at this year's opposition than in 2007 when it was considerably closer to the Earth and Sun.

Vesta's greatest distance from the Sun is only slightly more than Ceres' minimum distance.  Vesta is the brightest of the asteroids, at the best oppositions it does become a faint naked eye object.  It is the second largest asteroid, with a diameter just under 60% that of Ceres, but has a considerably lighter surface.  This combined with Vesta's closer approach to the Sun means Vesta is usually the brightest Asteroid.

Vesta was the fourth Minor Planet or Asteroid to be discovered, being first observed as a minor planet in 1807 by H W Olbers at Bremen.   Because of its opposition brightness, it must, of course have been seen naked eye many times before that, although as a faint star.