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Astronomers Confirm Asteroid Sharing Earth’s Orbit
A paper published on February 1st in Nature Communications just confirmed that an asteroid, named 2020 XL5, discovered in December 2020 is the second Trojan asteroid to be discovered sharing an orbit with Earth at Lagrange point 4 (L4). The study was also able to share new information regarding its orbit, size, and some physical characteristics.
What are Lagrange points and where are they located?
In orbital mechanics, a Lagrange point is a stable point where a small object can remain in orbit. This is considered a limited 3 body problem, as the stable points where an object can stay are due to the gravitational influence between two larger objects. In the case of Earth, Lagrange points are stable points of orbit in the Sun-Earth system. All planets have their own Lagrange points as part of their own Sun-Planet system.
Lagrange points have proven useful in modern science, as they provide a stable point for man-made objects to orbit. For example, the NASA-ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is currently orbiting the Sun at L1, a point located between the Earth and Sun. The James Webb Space Telescope is also currently located at L2, the Lagrange point located on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun.
