Neptune Trojan facts for kids

A Neptune Trojan is an asteroid which is in the same orbit as the planet Neptune.

Their name comes from the Trojan asteroids which have the same orbital period as a planet. As of March 2007, there are six known Neptune Trojans. They lie in the elongated, curved region around the L₄ Lagrangian point 60° ahead of Neptune. The six Neptune Trojans are 2001 QR₃₂₂, 385571 Otrera, 2005 TN₅₃, 385695 Clete, 2006 RJ₁₀₃ and 2007 RW₁₀.

The discovery of 2005 TN₅₃ in a high inclination (>25°) orbit is significant because it suggests a ‘thick’ cloud of Trojans. It is believed that large (radius ≈ 100 km) Neptune Trojans could greatly outnumber the Jupiter Trojans.

The New Horizons spacecraft passed through the L₅ Neptune region in 2014. It was preparing to observe Pluto and did not observe any asteroids there.

Images for kids

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  An animation showing the path of six of Neptune's L₄ trojans in a rotating frame with a period equal to Neptune's orbital period. Neptune is held stationary. (Click to view.)

See also

In Spanish: Asteroide troyano de Neptuno para niños