Avoiding an asteroid collision: Researchers reveal a new dimension in the study of asteroid pairs

Though it was once believed that all asteroids are giant pieces of solid rock, later hypotheses have it that some are actually a collection of small gravel-sized rocks, held together by gravity. If one of these "rubble piles" spins fast enough, it's speculated that pieces could separate from it through centrifugal force and form a second collection -- in effect, a second asteroid.

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