Rotation System
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Hubble Telescope Captures Comet Reversing Its Rotation for the First Time
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers observed Comet 41P slow, stop, and reverse its spin due to gas jets. The rare phenomenon could mark the beginning of the comet’s breakup as it nears the end of its life.
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NASA’s TESS Captures First Images of Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has captured rare images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third such object ever detected. Observations from January 2026 reveal the comet rotates every 15 hours and produces sunlight-driven jets, behaving much like Solar System comets. Scientists say studying 3I/ATLAS may unlock clues about th...
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Rubin Observatory Discovers Fastest-Spinning Large Asteroid Ever Seen
Astronomers using the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have discovered asteroid 2025 MN45, the fastest-spinning large asteroid ever recorded. About 710 metres wide, the object completes one full rotation every 1.88 minutes—far quicker than any asteroid of similar size. The finding emerged from an early survey that detected nearly 2,000 new asteroids, in...
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Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Shows Wobbling Jets in Rare Sun-Facing Tail, Surprising Astronomers
Astronomers have detected strange wobbling jets in the rare sun-facing tail of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Observed as the comet neared the Sun, the shifting jets reveal new details about how material escapes from comets formed around other stars, offering rare insight into alien planetary systems.
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Russia Patents Rotating Space Station Concept to Generate Artificial Gravity in Orbit
Russia’s Energia rocket company has patented a rotating space station concept designed to generate artificial gravity for astronauts. The system would use spinning habitable modules to simulate half of Earth’s gravity, potentially reducing health risks linked to long missions as the International Space Station nears retirement.
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Misaligned Exoplanet Is Challenging How We Think Solar Systems Form
Astronomers studying the dwarf-star system TOI-3884b have uncovered a striking anomaly: the planet’s orbit is sharply misaligned with its star’s rotation. Using multicolour transit observations, researchers detected repeated starspot-crossing events that revealed the planet passes over cooler regions on the stellar surface. Follow-up monitoring...
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Physicists Reveal a New Type of Twisting Solid That Behaves Almost Like a Living Material
The discovery of “rotating crystals” marks a major leap in physics and materials research. These unusual solids, composed of spinning particles, behave almost like living systems—twisting, fragmenting, and rebuilding themselves.
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Earth Is Spinning Faster, Says Study. This Could Force A Global Time Reset
In a rare and unprecedented move, scientists and world timekeepers are considering reducing one second from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) as Earth's rotation speeds up.
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Earth to Spin Faster on July 22 to Make It One of the Shortest Days in Recorded History
On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Earth will complete its rotation 1.34 milliseconds faster than the usual 24 hours, scientists say. That will make it the second-shortest day ever recorded, just behind July 10, 2025. The trend of shorter days has accelerated since 2020, attributed to factors like the Moon’s position, mass shifts from melting ice, and at...
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Earth’s Spin to Speed Up Briefly, Causing Shorter Days This Summer
Scientists report that Earth will briefly spin faster on July 9, 22, and August 5, shortening those summer days by 1.3 to 1.5 milliseconds. Though undetectable in daily life, this shift offers clues to how lunar gravity and seasonal changes affect planetary dynamics. Experts note that while timekeeping systems like GPS are unaffected, this rare spe...
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Hubble Telescope Captures Comet Reversing Its Rotation for the First Time
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers observed Comet 41P slow, stop, and reverse its spin due to gas jets. The rare phenomenon could mark the beginning of the comet’s breakup as it nears the end of its life.
-
NASA’s TESS Captures First Images of Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has captured rare images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third such object ever detected. Observations from January 2026 reveal the comet rotates every 15 hours and produces sunlight-driven jets, behaving much like Solar System comets. Scientists say studying 3I/ATLAS may unlock clues about th...
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Rubin Observatory Discovers Fastest-Spinning Large Asteroid Ever Seen
Astronomers using the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have discovered asteroid 2025 MN45, the fastest-spinning large asteroid ever recorded. About 710 metres wide, the object completes one full rotation every 1.88 minutes—far quicker than any asteroid of similar size. The finding emerged from an early survey that detected nearly 2,000 new asteroids, in...
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Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Shows Wobbling Jets in Rare Sun-Facing Tail, Surprising Astronomers
Astronomers have detected strange wobbling jets in the rare sun-facing tail of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Observed as the comet neared the Sun, the shifting jets reveal new details about how material escapes from comets formed around other stars, offering rare insight into alien planetary systems.
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Russia Patents Rotating Space Station Concept to Generate Artificial Gravity in Orbit
Russia’s Energia rocket company has patented a rotating space station concept designed to generate artificial gravity for astronauts. The system would use spinning habitable modules to simulate half of Earth’s gravity, potentially reducing health risks linked to long missions as the International Space Station nears retirement.
-
Misaligned Exoplanet Is Challenging How We Think Solar Systems Form
Astronomers studying the dwarf-star system TOI-3884b have uncovered a striking anomaly: the planet’s orbit is sharply misaligned with its star’s rotation. Using multicolour transit observations, researchers detected repeated starspot-crossing events that revealed the planet passes over cooler regions on the stellar surface. Follow-up monitoring...
-
Physicists Reveal a New Type of Twisting Solid That Behaves Almost Like a Living Material
The discovery of “rotating crystals” marks a major leap in physics and materials research. These unusual solids, composed of spinning particles, behave almost like living systems—twisting, fragmenting, and rebuilding themselves.
-
Earth Is Spinning Faster, Says Study. This Could Force A Global Time Reset
In a rare and unprecedented move, scientists and world timekeepers are considering reducing one second from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) as Earth's rotation speeds up.
-
Earth to Spin Faster on July 22 to Make It One of the Shortest Days in Recorded History
On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Earth will complete its rotation 1.34 milliseconds faster than the usual 24 hours, scientists say. That will make it the second-shortest day ever recorded, just behind July 10, 2025. The trend of shorter days has accelerated since 2020, attributed to factors like the Moon’s position, mass shifts from melting ice, and at...
-
Earth’s Spin to Speed Up Briefly, Causing Shorter Days This Summer
Scientists report that Earth will briefly spin faster on July 9, 22, and August 5, shortening those summer days by 1.3 to 1.5 milliseconds. Though undetectable in daily life, this shift offers clues to how lunar gravity and seasonal changes affect planetary dynamics. Experts note that while timekeeping systems like GPS are unaffected, this rare spe...
