Asteroids record the history of our Solar System. By studying how fast they spin and what shapes they have, scientists can uncover how these small bodies form, evolve, and respond to sunlight and collisions.

Using data from major sky surveys, including Gaia, ATLAS, and ZTF, we created the largest and most reliable dataset of asteroid spin and shape properties, covering more than 25,000 objects. We found that young asteroid families preserve their original spin patterns, while older families show both very fast and very slow rotators. This difference reflects the gradual influence of sunlight, known as the YORP effect, which changes asteroid spins over millions of years.

Our results reveal a clear separation between fast and slow rotators, providing new insight into asteroid evolution and supporting efforts to better understand potentially hazardous objects.