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MP 2022 BB
#4
Just saw this on Spaceweather.com

SUPER-FAST ROTATING ASTEROID: On asteroid 2022 AB, one day is only 3 minutes long. Amateur astronomer Filipp Romanov proved it on Jan. 20th when the asteroid flew past Earth almost 10 million km away. "I monitored the flyby using a 14-inch telescope in Canada," he says. "And I measured the asteroid's light curve." Here it is:

https://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_up..._id=181767

"The spin period is only 182 seconds," says Romanov.

Believe it or not, this is not the fastest-known spinning asteroid. It's not even in the top 10. Astronomers have discovered 97 space rocks with shorter days than 2022 AB. The fastest is 2017 QG18 with a spin period of only 24 seconds.

How can asteroids spin so fast? Small asteroids like 2017 QG18 (width=10 meters) and 2022 AB (width=70 meters) get their angular momentum from collisions. Glancing blows from other asteroids spin them up, creating asteroid "days" of incredible brevity. Larger asteroids spin more slowly.
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Messages In This Thread
MP 2022 BB - by PMSchu - 2022-01-22, 05:10 PM
RE: MP 2022 BB - by bigmasterdrago - 2022-01-23, 01:55 AM
RE: MP 2022 BB - by PMSchu - 2022-01-23, 02:58 AM
RE: MP 2022 BB - by bigmasterdrago - 2022-01-23, 10:29 PM
RE: MP 2022 BB - by theskyhound - 2022-01-23, 10:38 PM
RE: MP 2022 BB - by bigmasterdrago - 2022-01-23, 10:40 PM

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