The astronomers have confirmed that a rocky body spotted orbiting in Earth’s path is a “Trojan asteroid”. Asteroid 2020 XL5, as it has been named, escorts Earth around the sun.
More facts
- Asteroid 2020 XL5 is the second Trojan asteroid ever discovered. It’s three times larger than the only other known Earth Trojan, called Asteroid 2010 TK7, which was confirmed in 2011.
- These Trojan asteroids sit in gravitational spots known as Lagrangian points. Asteroid 2020 XL5 is at a Lagrangian point that has it orbiting ahead of Earth in the two bodies’ shared path.
What are Trojan asteroids?
- Asteroids sharing an orbit with a planet, but which are located at the leading (L4) and trailing (L5) Lagrangian points, are known as Trojan asteroids.
- Although Trojan asteroids have been discovered for Mars and Neptune and even Earth, the term ‘Trojan asteroid’ generally refers to the asteroids accompanying Jupiter, says Swinburne University of Technology.
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