We’ve spotted a huge asteroid spinning impossibly fast is attracting attention across the tech world. Analysts, enthusiasts, and industry observers are watching closely to see how this story develops.
This update adds another signal to a fast-moving sector where product decisions, platform changes, and competition can quickly shape the market.
Artist’s depiction of the asteroid 2025 MN45NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/P. Marenfeld
NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/P. Marenfeld
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has spotted the fastest-rotating large asteroid ever seen. Despite measuring more than half a kilometre across, this asteroid spins about once every 1.9 minutes – a speed once thought to be impossible.
Dmitrii Vavilov at the University of Washington in Seattle and his colleagues found this asteroid, along with several other surprisingly speedy rotators, in the data from Rubin’s first nine nights of observations in late April and early May 2025. Vavilov presented the results at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas on 17 March.
Stunning first images show the power of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory
In that observation period, the researchers identified 76 asteroids for which they could reliably calculate rotational periods, with 19 of those being so-called super-fast rotators, spinning once every 2.2 hours or faster. That figure is the limit of how fast a “rubble pile” asteroid, made up of many smaller rocks loosely held together by gravity, can spin without falling apart.
The vast majority of asteroids are thought to be rubble piles, so the researchers didn’t expect to find many rotating faster than once every 2.2 hours. The fastest of the super-fast rotators spins once every 13 minutes or so. In their first set of analyses, the researchers didn’t even look for anything with a spin period of less than about 5 minutes, Vavilov said during his presentation. “We thought that was crazy that they could rotate any faster,” he said.
When they went back and looked for even faster rotators, they found three spinning so rapidly that they are considered ultra-fast rotators, with periods of about 3.8 minutes, 1.92 minutes and 1.88 minutes, respectively. The fastest, called 2025 MN45, has a diameter of about 710 metres and spins faster than any asteroid more than 500m across ever seen before.
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Its astonishing speed means this asteroid can’t possibly be a rubble pile. It must be made of much stronger mettle than most space rocks. “2.2 hours is supposed to be the limit for this asteroid, and yet it’s rotating in less than 2 minutes,” said Vavilov. “Even clay would not be enough to hold this asteroid together, so it’s probably one big rock or even solid metal.”
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to spot many more rotating asteroids over the course of its planned 10-year survey of the southern sky, enabling astronomers to explore the surprising diversity of these strange boulders in space.
The Astrophysical Journal Letters DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae2a30
The world capital of astronomy: Chile
Experience the astronomical highlights of Chile. Visit some of the world’s most technologically advanced observatories and stargaze beneath some of the clearest skies on earth.
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Experience the astronomical highlights of Chile. Visit some of the world’s most technologically advanced observatories and stargaze beneath some of the clearest skies on earth.
Why This Matters
This development may influence user expectations, future product strategy, and the competitive balance inside the broader technology industry.
Companies in adjacent segments often react quickly to similar moves, which is why stories like this tend to matter beyond a single announcement.
Looking Ahead
The full impact will become clearer over time, but the story already highlights how quickly the modern tech landscape can evolve.
Observers will continue tracking the next steps and how they affect products, users, and the wider market.
