Fast and Slow Rotation of Asteroids

• DOI: 10.1006/icar.2000.6482
• Publication Date: 2002-09-17T23:19:12Z
• Authors: Petr Pravec; Alan W. Harris
• Keywords: 0103 physical sciences; 01 natural sciences

Abstract We present an analysis of the distribution of asteroid spin rates vs. size. The existence of significant populations of both slow and fast rotators among asteroids smaller than D=40 km, and especially below 10 km (where our sample is mostly near-Earth asteroids), is shown. We have found that the excess of slow rotators is present at spin rates below ≈0.8 rev/day, and the group of fast rotators occupies the range of spin rates >7 rev/day. The fast rotators show interesting characteristics: The lack of objects rotating faster than 2.2 h period among asteroids with absolute magnitude H