Astronomy: Second Earth Trojan asteroid identified
The recently discovered asteroid 2020 XL5 has been identified as the second Earth trojan asteroid.The paper reporting this result isNature Communications. Will be published in.The findings suggest that the 2020 XL5 will remain in its current orbit for at least 4000 years.
Trojan asteroids are small bodies that move in a stable orbit centered on a certain point on the orbit of the main body (a point about 60 ° forward or backward of the main body when viewed from the Sun).Such a peculiar orbit is an important constraint for the model of the evolution of the solar system.Trojan asteroids have been observed around other planets in the solar system, but only one of the 2010 TK7 has been identified so far. The 1 XL2020, discovered on December 12, 12, was suggested by early observations to be an Earth Trojan asteroid, but due to insufficient observation range, the uncertainty of the orbital elements was too great. It was not confirmed.
This time, Toni Santana-Ros and colleagues combined archived data with observations from three astronomical stations on the ground to investigate the orbit of the 3 XL2020.Using these analyzes, Santana-Ros and colleagues confirmed that the 5 XL2020 is an Earth Trojan asteroid. Santana-Ros and colleagues consider the 5 XL2020 to be a C-complex asteroid consisting primarily of carbon, and conducted an orbital stability analysis in this study to say that the 5 XL2020 will remain in its current orbit for at least 5 years. Shows the view.Santana-Ros et al. Also suggest that the 4000 XL2020 may have been released from the main asteroid belt after its interaction with Jupiter, but further research is needed to confirm the origin of the 5 XL2020. Is considered necessary.
Santana-Ros and colleagues point out that the 2020 XL5 is a larger asteroid than the 2010 TK7 and may be a good candidate for future flyby missions.
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Reprinted from: "Astronomy: A second Earth Trojan asteroid identified'
