Astronomers have found new Trojan asteroids who follow the same path around the Sun as the earth. Dubbed 2020 XL5, the newly discovered Trojan is the second asteroid that has been found, with both discoveries occurred over the past ten years. Asteroids shade the earth and as in the same general orbit, there is no danger that collides with the planet.
The name “Trojan Asteroid” comes from Jupiter Trojan, a series of asteroids that follow Jupiter’s planet in their orbit around the Sun. The name was given to the asteroid family after several named from the Trojan Hero that appeared in Iliad.
Asteroid Trojans can hold their position with respect to a much larger body like planets because they are at any point of lagrange. When the New York Times wrote, “When two objects orbiting each other, there are five points, known as Lagrange Points, where gravity basically balances, and a much smaller mass can sit there in balance. Two of five points Lagrange , Known as L4 and L5, stable: if a small body is a little positive, stay at that time. At three unstable lagrange points – L1 via L3 – the urge will push a small body forever. “
Trojan earth asteroids are very difficult to find
Asteroid 2020 XL5 appeared around the Lagrange Point lag in the Bumi-Sun system. Scientists estimate that Trojan asteroids arrived at the current location in the last few centuries and had to hold their position around 4,000 years before being pulled out of their current orbit by Venus. If you have followed the Space Mission James Webb Telescope, you will realize that it is now positioned in Lagrange Point 2 (L2). Although still the position of the gravitational balance between the Sun and the earth, L2 is actually a little less stable than where the asteroid 2020 XL5, even though Webb has the benefit of the driver to store it in the correct position.
Asteroid 2020 XL5 is about three quarters of miles across making it greater than the first trojan asteroids found in the Orbit Bumi, Trojan Asteroid 2010 TK7, which is about a quarter of a mile. Trojan Asteroid Earth is difficult to recognize because of the angle from which they can be observed. They can only be observed when close to the sun and right above the horizon, creating a situation where visibility is low and the potential time of observation is only a few minutes. The team overcame this problem by identifying the 4 meter class telescope that is best positioned to make this observation. It is 4.3 M Lowell Discovery Telescope (Arizona, USA) and 4.1 M Soar Telescope, operated by NSF’s Noullab (Cerro Pachón, Chile).
Asteroid Trojans can be a treasure
The possibility of the scientific offered by the invention of interesting Trojan asteroids. They are considered as the remnants of the initial formation of the solar system and, in this case, it can even offer insight into how the earth is formed.
Asteroid 2020 XL5 is newly found dark and is considered rich in carbon and has the potential to be a pure time capsule that is worth checking closer. Because 2020 XL5 is located at the point of L4, it makes sending a spaceship to check it quite well. This will be a relatively low cost mission because the energy needed to achieve it and then stick with it in the orbit is quite low. The main researchers who found 2020 XL5, Toni Santana-Ros from the University of Alicante even suggested that “the earth’s trojan might be the ideal base for advanced exploration of the solar system, or they can even be a resource source.”