Study Puts Solar Spin on Asteroids, their Moons & Earth Impacts

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.

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<p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news134828202.html">Study Puts Solar Spin on Asteroids, their Moons & Earth Impacts</a></p> <p>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 <i>Nature</i>, 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.</p>