Simulating asteroid rotation

This activity allows you to create the “rotation lightcurve” of an object, matching the approach that astronomers use when trying to determine the rotation rate of an asteroid.

The original version of this activity used a potato as the “asteroid”, so it is sometimes referred to as the “Rotato Experiment”!

Asteroid Itokawa resembles a large rubble pile, rather than being a solid piece of rock. The surface features will reflect different amounts of light as it rotates, causing it to appear brighter and fainter at different points in it’s rotation as viewed from Earth.

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