List of Mars trojan asteroids
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
L5 group (shown in green) and the
L4 group (light blue) of Mars trojan asteroids on the orbit of
Mars. Mars is shown in red. The outer orbit is that of Jupiter.
The Mars trojans are a group of objects that share the orbit of the planet Mars around the Sun. They can be found around the two Lagrangian points 60° ahead of and behind Mars. The origin of the Mars trojans is not well understood. One theory suggests that the Mars trojans were captured in its Lagrangian points as the Solar System was forming. However, spectral studies of the Mars trojans indicate this may not be the case[1][2]. One explanation for this involves asteroids wandering into the Mars Lagrangian points later in the Solar System's formation. This is also questionable considering the very low mass of Mars.[citation needed]
Presently, this family contains three known asteroids[3] and there are many candidates[citation needed]:
L4 (leading cloud):
L5 (trailing cloud):
Candidates
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Rivkin, Andrew; Trilling, David; Thomas, Cristina; DeMeo, Fancesca; Spahr, Timoth; Binzel, Richard (2007). "Composition of the L5 Mars Trojans: Neighbors, not siblings". Icarus 192 (2): 434-441. Bibcode 2007Icar..192..434R. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2007.06.026.
- ^ Trilling, David; Rivking, Andrew; Stansberry, John; Spahr, Timothy; Crudo, Richard; Davies, John (2007). "Albedos and diameters of three Mars Trojan asteroids". Icarus 192 (2): 442-447. Bibcode 2007Icar..192..442T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2007.08.002.
- ^ "Minor Planet Center". http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/lists/MarsTrojans.html. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
