Vera Rubin Observatory spots the fastest-spinning large asteroid ever found

An illustration of a large round asteroid covered in craters surrounded by smaller asteroids with a orange glowing sun in the top left of the image. .

A powerful new telescope in South America is already offering tantalizing hints of what it can do.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory began studying the heavens from a Chilean mountaintop last spring, and its "first light" images wowed astronomers and space fans alike when they were released in June.