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Discovery of Saturn’s Trojan Asteroid 2019 UO14
A collaborative effort by a global team of astronomers has led to the confirmation that asteroid 2019 UO14 is a Trojan asteroid associated with Saturn. The findings were detailed in a recent paper available on the arXiv preprint server.
Trojan asteroids are celestial bodies that share an orbit with a larger planet, in this instance, Saturn. The concept of Trojan asteroids was first introduced in 1906, thanks to the work of astronomer Max Wolf. Although the first Trojans were identified near Jupiter, where there are thousands due to the planet’s proximity to the asteroid belt and its substantial gravitational influence, the possibility of finding similar bodies around Saturn has intrigued scientists for some time.
Jupiter’s extensive collection of Trojan asteroids is linked to its position and gravitational influence, which readily captures these bodies. NASA has announced plans for a mission to explore several of these Trojans between 2027 and 2033, highlighting the interest in understanding these ancient space rocks.
Given Saturn’s own gravitational pull, researchers anticipated that it was only a matter of time before a Trojan asteroid would be identified in its orbit. Multiple studies over the years hinted at the likelihood of Saturn hosting such asteroids, making the eventual discovery of 2019 UO14 significant.
The asteroid was initially detected in 2019, but at that time, its classification as a Trojan was uncertain. To affirm this designation, astronomers needed to corroborate observations using multiple telescopes across various locations. The investigation revealed previous images of 2019 UO14, allowing for its position to be tracked and confirmed through later observations from different sites.
The research team compiled data spanning from 2015 to 2024, ultimately concluding that 2019 UO14 indeed qualifies as a Trojan asteroid linked to Saturn. They determined that it completes an orbit around the Sun approximately every 30 years and is positioned about 60 degrees ahead of Saturn in its orbital path.
Like many other Trojans, 2019 UO14 is thought to have an unstable orbit, affected not just by Saturn, but also by the gravitational forces exerted by Jupiter. Researchers propose that this asteroid has been in its Trojan state for roughly a couple of thousand years and forecast that it may continue in this role for another millennium before its orbit changes significantly.
More information: Man-To Hui et al, 2019 UO14: A Transient Trojan of Saturn, arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2409.19725
Source
phys.org