NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Rubin) discovers fastest-spinning large asteroid

Key facts

• Astronomers analyzing data from the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Rubin) have discovered the fastest-ever spinning asteroid with a diameter over half a kilometer.
• The identified asteroid, named 2025 MN45, is 710 meters (0.44 miles) in diameter and completes a full rotation every 1.88 minutes.
• This is the first published, peer-reviewed scientific paper that uses data from the Rubin Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Camera, which is the largest digital camera in the world.
• The study identified 19 newly discovered fast rotators that are all longer than 90 meters (100 yards), with most located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
• Scientists calculate that 2025 MN45 must have a cohesive strength similar to that of solid rock to remain intact while spinning at such high speeds.
• Rubin is a joint program of the NSF NOIRLab (NOIRLab) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC).
• The LSST is a 10-year mission designed to repeatedly scan the southern hemisphere night sky to create a time-lapse record of the universe.