First Neptunian L5 Trojan Found |
  |
First Neptunian L5 Trojan Found |
 Aug 13 2010, 07:55 AM
Post
#1
|
|
 Senior Member  Group: Moderator Posts: 6476 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602  |
2008 LC18.
http://www.dtm.ciw.edu/users/sheppard/L5trojan/2008LC18.html . From Subaru; note the extremely crowded starfield. Certainly illustrates the difficulties faced by NH's KBO target search in the same general line-of-sight region at this time. It's a trailer, est. 60 km 'diameter', orbit apparently a bit inclined. Early reports indicate that NH won't get close enough to get a good look at it when it passes through this Lagrange point in a few years, but the search continues for others. -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
|
 |
 
|
|
Aug 13 2010, 02:06 PM
Post
#2
|
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1101 Joined: 14-October 05 From: Seattle Member No.: 530 |
First trailing trojan, you mean? Or because this is 2008-tagged, are you just sharing the photos? Crazy they could find anything.
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 13 2010, 08:06 PM
Post
#3
|
|
 Member Group: Members Posts: 966 Joined: 26-July 08 Member No.: 4270 |
First trailing Trojan, not the first trojan in general (some have been found in Neptune's leading Lagrange point).
-------------------- -- Hungry4info (Sirius_Alpha)
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 13 2010, 10:25 PM
Post
#4
|
|
 Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 4500 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Sloughhouse, CA Member No.: 197 |
Emily explained this very well on her TPS blog:
http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002623/ -------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 13 2010, 11:22 PM
Post
#5
|
|
|
Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 6476 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Yeah, mea culpa... did indeed mean first trailer (L5). Can an admin please fix the title?
 Emily did do an outstanding job on her blog, as per her usual excellence in reporting! EDIT: Thanks for fixing the title, Unknown Admin! -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 14 2010, 09:04 AM
Post
#6
|
|
 Member Group: Members Posts: 120 Joined: 30-December 05 Member No.: 628 |
The notion that there could be enough of these Lutetia-sized objects in the Neptunian LaGrange points to equal the combined mass of the main asteroid belt really sounds surprising, until you bring in the notion of outward migration. Observations up to this point seem to indicate that Saturn and Uranus have fewer LaGrangian companions than Jupiter and Neptune. If I am reading correctly between the lines of Emily's account, I guess Neptune had the first opportunity to sweep up the rubble as the big planets migrated outward. Jupiter, being so massive, probably had some advantage capturing the rest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 22nd May 2013 - 12:22 PM |
|
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is a project of the Planetary Society and is funded by donations from visitors and members. Help keep this forum up and running by contributing here. |
|
