Uploaded July 2008 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In this simulation, we see an asteroid whose rate of spin is accelerated (viewed from above and from the side). It is made-up of many small rocks in a so called 'rubble-pile', kept together by gravity. The angular acceleration forces the small rocks to reposition themselves in an elongated shape. Eventually, the asteroid breaks up (fragments), and then forms a binary system. Simulations by Kevin Walsh and Patrik Michel Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur (OCDA)
In this simulation, we see an asteroid whose rate of spin is accelerated (viewed from above and from the side). It is made-up of many small rocks in a so called 'rubble-pile', kept together by gravity. The angular acceleration forces the small rocks to reposition themselves in an elongated shape. Eventually, the asteroid breaks up (fragments), and then forms a binary system. Simulations by Kevin Walsh and Patrik Michel Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur (OCDA)
