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Vera C. Rubin Observatory Discovers Enormous, Record-Breaking Asteroid in First 7 Nights of Observations

On January 7, 2026, The Astrophysical Journal Letters published research reporting that 2025 MN45, a 710-meter main-belt asteroid, spins every 1.88 minutes, making it the fastest known of its size.
Using the LSST Camera during commissioning, Vera C. Rubin Observatory's dataset taken over seven days last year produced about 1,900 newly observed asteroids.
Sarah Greenstreet explained that the asteroid's rapid spin implies it must have cohesive strength comparable to solid rock; she added, "This is somewhat surprising."
The team reported 16 super-fast rotators and three ultra-fast rotators, including 2025 MN45, and Rubin's 10-year survey will start in the coming months, promising many discoveries.
Researchers propose that studying fast rotators will let scientists probe internal strength, composition and collisional histories of primitive bodies, supporting the collisionary fragment hypothesis in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

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Newly Discovered Asteroid Rotates at Record Speed

With Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, a mirror telescope with a large field of vision, which was only launched in September 2025, researchers discovered an asteroid that rotates at record speed. The record-breaking space rock named 2025 MN45 in the main asteroid belt between the two planets Mars and Jupiter was found. The asteroid has a diameter of around 710 meters and performs a revolution every 1.88 minutes. This makes the cosmic chunk the…

3 hours ago·Vienna, Austria

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Dnevni list Danas

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Physics-Defying Space Rock: Skyscraper-Sized Asteroid Discovered Spinning at Record Speed

Scientists analyzing the first images from the powerful Vera C. Rubin Observatory have discovered the fastest-rotating asteroid ever recorded among objects of its size.

16 hours ago·Belgrade, Serbia

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