NOIR Lab - Fast Spinning Asteroids From the Rubin Observatory

As part of the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory First Look event in June 2025, Rubin announced that it had observed thousands of asteroids cruising about our Solar System, about 1,900 of which have been confirmed as never-before-seen. Within the flurry, a team of astronomers has discovered 19 super- and ultra-fast-rotating asteroids. One of these is the fastest-spinning asteroid larger than 500 meters (0.3 miles) ever found. In this podcast, Dr. Sarah Greenstreet discusses these fast spinning asteroids and what makes the Rubin Observatory ideal for discovering these types of objects.

 

Bios: 

- Rob Sparks is in the Communications, Education and Engagement group at NSF's NOIRLab in Tucson, Arizona.

- Sarah Greenstreet is a tenure-track assistant astronomer at the NSF National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) and an affiliate assistant professor in the University of Washington's Department of Astronomy. She is also a member of the Rubin Observatory Community Science Team and has served as the Lead for the Rubin Observatory Solar System Science Collaboration's Near-Earth Objects and Interstellar Objects Working Group for the past seven years. Prof. Greenstreet's research program broadly focuses on orbital dynamics, characterization, and impacts of small bodies across the Solar System, with a particular focus on the rarest and most unusual asteroids. To learn more about her research, please visit her website: www.sarahgreenstreet.com.

 

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