Space Rocks Spinning Faster Than Ever Before

Astronomers have found a bunch of asteroids that are spinning super fast. One of them is really big and spins so quickly that it completes a full rotation in just about two minutes. This is a big deal because most asteroids are like loose piles of rocks. They are held together by gravity, not strength. So, for one to spin this fast, it must be made of something really strong, like solid rock.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Discovery

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory found almost 2,000 asteroids last year. Out of these, 19 are spinning really, really fast. One of them, called MM45, spins every 1.88 minutes. That's way faster than most asteroids. Another one spins every 1.9 minutes. These asteroids are not small. They are about the size of eight American football fields.

What Makes These Asteroids Special?

Astronomers think that the fast spin shows that these asteroids are not just loose piles of rocks. They must be made of something strong to stay together while spinning so fast. This is interesting because most asteroids are thought to be made of many small pieces of rock and debris. They are held together by gravity. But these fast-spinning asteroids must be different.

The Power of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is a powerful telescope. It can find thousands of asteroids in just a few hours. This is because it can take an image every 40 seconds. The observatory is named after Vera Rubin, an astronomer who found evidence for dark matter. The telescope will keep looking at the sky for 10 years. Astronomers are excited to see what else it will find.