Tag: asteroid rotation
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Model Explains Chaotic Asteroid Rotations with Gaia Data
Researchers Unveil a Unified Model for Asteroid Spin Astronomers have long puzzled over why many asteroids rotate in unpredictable, sometimes tumble-like motions, while others settle into steady spins. A recent study led by Wen-Han Zhou of the University of Tokyo, presented at a major planetary science meeting, offers a comprehensive framework that ties these rotational…
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New Model Theorizes Why Most Asteroid Rotations Turn Chaotic
Why Asteroid Spins Have Confounded Scientists For years, astronomers have observed asteroids rotating at a wide range of speeds, with many behaving oddly—tumbling instead of simply spinning around a single axis. Traditional theories could not fully explain why some asteroids slow down, while others tumble, nor why a surprising number are slower than expected. A…
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How Asteroids Spin in Space and Safe Deflection Strategies
Understanding asteroid spin: the tug-of-war between collisions and internal friction Asteroids don’t all rotate the same way. Some spin smoothly like a top, others tumble chaotically, and a few seem to drift through space with unpredictable wobble. Recent work presented at the Europlanet Science Congress in Helsinki sheds light on why this happens and what…