I have a new story published on my Across the Universe blog over at The Guardian.

"The Dawn spacecraft leaves asteroid Vesta today and Nasa is throwing a farewell party online on Saturday. Everyone is invited but how many will attend?

Nasa is saying Hasta La Vista, Vesta (its joke, not mine). After almost 14 months in orbit around that particular space rock, this morning the Dawn spacecraft slipped Vesta's gravitational bonds and began its two-and-a-half year voyage to the largest of the asteroids, Ceres.

To celebrate, Nasa is hosting a Google+ Hangout on Saturday 8 September at 12 noon (Pacific)/8pm (UK). Mission scientists and engineers have promised to participate in a virtual face-to-face with members of the public. Questions can be submitted by email, Facebook or Twitter. ... "

Read the full story here.