灶神星

“黎明号”将花一年时间绕灶神星运行，然后前往矮行星谷神星（Ceres）。

Dawn will spend one year orbiting Vesta , then travel to the dwarf planet Ceres .

在环绕灶神星的轨道运行一年后，“黎明”号将飞向矮行星谷神星（Ceres）。

After a year in orbit around Vesta , Dawn will travel on to the dwarf planet Ceres .

黎明号进行入灶神星轨道。

Dawn Spacecraft Enters Orbit Around Asteroid Vesta .

黎明号逼近灶神星。

Dawn Closing in on Asteroid Vesta .

灶神星所有行星中最亮的一颗，是第四个被发现的星他们的雇员中还有退役的四星将军。

The brightest of all the asteroids and the fourth to be discovered . Their ranks include former four-star generals .

人们认为，倘若没有木星引力的阻挡，灶神星这样的大型天体本会被兼并为行星。

It 's thought that larger chunks such as Vesta could have merged into planets had they not been foiled by Jupiter 's gravity .

据国家航空航天局介绍，灶神星和谷神星因它们截然不同的性质而被选为这一飞行任务的研究对象。

Vesta and Ceres were chosen as the study subjects for this mission , according to NASA documents , because of their very different natures .

“黎明号”将对灶神星进行深入的分析，科学家认为它是落到地球上的大量陨石的来源。

The spacecraft will provide in-depth analysis of Vesta , which scientists believe is the source of a large number of meteorites that fall to Earth .

一年后，黎明号探测器将离开灶神星的轨道，计划在2015年到达谷神星，它是小行星带中唯一一颗比灶神星大的小行星。

After a year of studying Vesta , Dawn is scheduled to leave orbit and , in2015 , approach the only asteroid-belt object that is larger : Ceres .

研究灶神星或许有助于得到早期太阳系形成的线索，因为灶神星这个不同寻常的世界也许是残留的最大原行星之一。

Studying Vesta may give clues to the formative years of our early Solar System , as the unusual world may be one of the largest remaining protoplanets .

灶神星很像地球和太阳系内部其他多岩石的行星，而谷神星似乎更像遥远行星的冰冷卫星。

Vesta is like Earth and the other rocky planets of the inner solar system , while Ceres appears to be more similar to the icy moons of the distant planets .

“黎明”号将环绕灶神星运行一年，提供对其近距离观测得到的数据，希望以此增加对太阳系形成初期的了解。

Dawn will circle Vesta for a year , providing close-up observations of the asteroid that , it is hoped , will broaden understanding of the earliest years of the formation of the solar system .

在灶神星南半球，一个巨大的陨石坑引人注目。这是远古时期一次陨石剧烈撞击的结果，（科学家们认为，）撞击后导致陨石坠落地球，或有碎片飞出形成小行星。

Vesta 's southern section is dominated by a giant crater , the result of a collision eons ago that 's believed to have pelted Earth with numerous meteorites , or broken off pieces of asteroids .