Scientists have found that an asteroid which crashed into the Earth’s atmosphere earlier this year was spinning at the highest rate ever known, which was one spin every 2.6 seconds.
The asteroid, known as 2024 BX1, is probably not more than one metre wide and entered the atmosphere of Earth on January 21 and fell into pieces over Berlin, Germany. However, some pieces survived the fireball and were later recovered.
First asteroid to have been spotted before entering Earth’s atmosphere
It was a rare case where the scientists were able to track the fall of the asteroid and spot the celestial rock before it entered the atmosphere of the Earth. In this case, it was seen just three hours ahead of the asteroid’s entry.
The images of the asteroid were taken by Maxime Devogele and his colleagues at the European Space Agency’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre in Italy before impact.
The asteroid, which was moving at some 50,000 kilometres per hour, had an elongated shape which meant changes in its brightness due to rotation.
Such changes in brightness corresponded with the rotation time of 2.588 seconds, which was roughly 30,000 rotations per day. “It’s the fastest [spin] we’ve ever observed,” Devogele said.
The asteroids are known to spin due to various reasons, such as collisions they may have faced earlier in their life. The space rocks in general are bigger than a kilometre and cannot rotate more than once every 2.2 hours because they will break apart.
However, smaller asteroids like 2024 BX1 can withstand much faster spins since they are more compact. “They have internal strength, so they can rotate faster,” Devogele said.
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Observing the spin of objects is more useful for planetary defence which helps scientists understand how strong a small asteroid is and how it is likely to survive its passage through the atmosphere of the Earth.
“If it’s hard, it will react differently than if it’s a piece of snow that has no internal strength,” says Devogele.
(With inputs from agencies)
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
