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is an
/ref>
/ref>
/ref>New Scientist article on the discovery
/ref> Its orbit is characterized by low eccentricity (0.054), moderate inclination (18.6°) and a semi-major axis of 1.52 AU.MPC data on 2007 NS2
/ref> Upon discovery, it was classified as Mars-crosser by the
data at MPC. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:2007 NS2 311999 311999 311999 20070714
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
and Mars trojan
The Mars trojans are a group of trojan objects that share the orbit of the planet Mars around the Sun. They can be found around the two Lagrangian points 60° ahead of and behind Mars. The origin of the Mars trojans is not well understood. One t ...
orbiting near the of Mars.
Discovery, orbit and physical properties
was discovered on 14 July 2007, by the Observatorio Astronómico de La Sagra.2007 NS2 discovery blog/ref>
/ref>
/ref>New Scientist article on the discovery
/ref> Its orbit is characterized by low eccentricity (0.054), moderate inclination (18.6°) and a semi-major axis of 1.52 AU.MPC data on 2007 NS2
/ref> Upon discovery, it was classified as Mars-crosser by the
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Function
...
. Its orbit is well determined as it is currently (March 2013) based on 87 observations with a data-arc span of 4,800 days. has an absolute magnitude of 17.8, which gives a characteristic diameter of 870 m.
Mars trojan and orbital evolution
Jean Meeus
Jean Meeus (born 12 December 1928) is a Belgian meteorologist and amateur astronomer specializing in celestial mechanics, spherical astronomy, and mathematical astronomy.
Meeus studied mathematics at the University of Leuven in Belgium, wh ...
suspected that was a Mars Trojan, and this was confirmed by Reiner Stoss's analysis of two sets of observations dating from 1998 on the MPC database. It was confirmed to be a Mars Trojan numerically in 2012.
Recent calculations confirm that it is a stable Mars Trojan asteroid with a libration period of 1310 years and an amplitude of 14°.
These values as well as its short-term orbital evolution are similar to those of 5261 Eureka
5261 Eureka is the first Mars trojan discovered. It was discovered by David H. Levy and Henry Holt at Palomar Observatory on 20 June 1990. It trails Mars (at the ) at a distance varying by only 0.3 AU during each revolution (with a secular t ...
. Out of all known Mars Trojans, it currently has the smallest relative (to Mars) semimajor axis, 0.000059 AU.
Origin
Long-term numerical integrations show that its orbit is very stable on Gyr time-scales (1 Gyr = 1 billion years). As in the case of Eureka, calculations in both directions of time (4.5 Gyr into the past and 4.5 Gyr into the future) indicate that may be a primordial object, perhaps a survivor of the planetesimal population that formed in the terrestrial planets region early in the history of the Solar System.
See also
*5261 Eureka
5261 Eureka is the first Mars trojan discovered. It was discovered by David H. Levy and Henry Holt at Palomar Observatory on 20 June 1990. It trails Mars (at the ) at a distance varying by only 0.3 AU during each revolution (with a secular t ...
(1990 MB)
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References
Further reading
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data at MPC. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:2007 NS2 311999 311999 311999 20070714