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We report on accurate $BVR_{c}$ observations of (6478) Gault, a 5-6 kmdiameter inner main-belt asteroid in the Phocaea family, notable for itssporadic, comet-like ejection of dust. This curious behavior has been mainlyinterpreted as reconfigurations after YORP spin-up, although merging of acontact binary system cannot be fully excluded. We collected opticalobservations along the 2019 March-April period, at orbital phase angles between$12^{\circ}-21^{\circ}$, to search for direct evidence of asteroid quickspinning rotation. A prevailing period value of $3.34 \pm 0.02$ hours issupported by our and other photometric observations. In the YORP spin-uphypothesis, this period points to a bulk density $\rho \approx 1$$\textrm{g}/\textrm{cm}^3$. The mean colors are $B-V = +0.82_{\pm 0.3}$,$V-R_{c} = +0.28_{\pm 0.06}$ and $B-R_{c} = +1.11_{\pm 0.4}$, but we haveobserved a strong bluer color during the April session, with about $\Delta(B-V) \sim 0.35 \pm 0.09$~mag. This color change can be due to asteroidrotation and support the hypothesis that there is a bluer surface under theGault's dust, as indicated by spectroscopic observations made on 2019 March 31and April 8 by Marsset et al. (2019).

Spinning and color properties of the active asteroid (6478) Gault