Study Puts Solar Spin on Asteroids, their Moons & Earth Impacts
Friday, July 11, 2008 - 12:56
in Astronomy & Space
Asteroids with moons, which scientists call binary asteroids, are common in the solar system. A longstanding question has been how the majority of such moons are formed. In this week's issue of the journal Nature, a trio of astronomers from Maryland and France say the surprising answer is sunlight, which can increase or decrease the spin rate of an asteroid. read more