List of fast rotators (minor planets)


This is a list of fast rotators—minor planets that have an exceptionally short rotation period, also called "rotation rate" or "spin rate". It is a fundamental standard physical property for minor planets. In this list the periods are sourced from the Light Curve Data Base, and are given in both seconds and hours.
Most minor planets have rotation periods between 2 and 20 hours., a group of 887 bodies – most of them are stony near-Earth asteroids with small diameters of barely 1 kilometer– have an estimated period of less than 2.2 hours. According to the Minor Planet Center, most smaller bodies are thought to be rubble piles – conglomerations of smaller pieces, loosely coalesced under the influence of gravity. Bodies below a period of 2.2 hours – also known as the "cohesionless spin-barrier" – can not be merely held together by self-gravity, but must be formed of a contiguous solid, as they would fly apart otherwise. Via the deduction of strength boundary limits, rotation periods give an insight into the body's internal composition, and, from its degree of fracture, its collisional history can be inferred.
Bodies with an uncertain period are displayed in dark-grey. They have a LCDB quality code, U, of less than 2, which corresponds to an estimated error margin of larger than 30%. A trailing plus sign or minus sign indicate slightly better or worse quality, respectively, than the unsigned value. This list also includes a small group of bodies which have no provisional designation in the LCDB.

Fastest rotators

Periods 0.02–0.05 hour

Periods 0.05–0.1 hour

Periods 0.1–0.5 hour

Periods 0.5–1 hour

Periods 1–2 hours

Periods 2–2.2 hours