The Solar System often throws up surprises for astronomers, but the recent discovery of a 2- to 3-km wide asteroid called 2009 HC82 has sent observers in a spin. A retrograde spin to be precise. This particular near-Earth asteroid (NEO) should have already been spotted as it has such a strange orbit. It is highly … Continue reading "2009 HC82: A Burnt-Out, Eccentric and Backward Near-Earth Asteroid"