Astronomy Picture of the Day . ... 29.09.2007 . ... Credit: Randy Pollock Explanation: Shortly after sunrise on Thursday at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Dawn spacecraft began its journey to the asteroid belt, arcing eastward into a blue and cloudy sky. ... Vesta is one of the largest main belt asteroids, while nomenclature introduced by the International Astronomical Union in 2006 classifies nearly spherical Ceres as a dwarf planet . ... 2005 2006 . ... Publications with keywords: launch . ...