Comparability of 2019 UO14 (plotted as a magenta superstar) to different Trojans and Centaurs. Credit score: arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2409.19725
A small global crew of astronomers and astrophysicists has showed that asteroid 2019 UO14 is a Trojan asteroid of Saturn. The crew has posted a paper describing their learn about of the asteroid at the arXiv preprint server.
Trojan asteroids apply kind of the similar trail across the solar as a close-by planet—on this case, Saturn. The primary of them was once found out in 1906 via Max Wolf. Previous to this discovery, Trojan asteroids for the opposite 3 large planets within the sun device were found out—maximum of them round Jupiter, which has hundreds of them.
Jupiter has such a lot of as it lies subsequent to the asteroid belt and has an enormous gravitational pull. NASA has plans to ship a probe to a number of of them over time 2027 to 2033.
Researchers believed that it could handiest be an issue of time earlier than a Saturnian Trojan asteroid was once found out because of the planet’s sturdy gravitational pull. Through the years, a number of researchers within the box have instructed it was once all however sure that Saturn has a number of Trojan asteroids.
2019 UO14 was once first noticed again in 2019, but it surely was once no longer recognized on the time if it was once a Trojan. To benefit that designation, astronomers should ascertain observations from a number of telescopes at other websites. On this case, 2019 UO14 was once additionally discovered to seem in prior pictures the place its place might be showed. It was once then noticed afresh from a number of new websites.
In all, knowledge for the asteroid was once discovered over time 2015 to 2024—sufficient to substantiate that it’s certainly a Trojan asteroid of Saturn. The analysis crew has discovered that 2019 UO14 takes roughly 30 years to revolve and lies roughly 60 levels forward of Saturn.
Like maximum different Trojan asteroids, 2019 UO14 is assumed to have an risky orbit. Its orbit is influenced no longer handiest via Saturn’s gravity, however via Jupiter’s as neatly. The analysis crew suspects the asteroid has handiest been a Trojan for a pair thousand years, and can most probably stay one for simply some other 1,000.
Additional information:
Guy-To Hui et al, 2019 UO14: A Temporary Trojan of Saturn, arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2409.19725
Magazine knowledge:
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