Neptune Trojan

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TNOs and similar bodies
cis-Neptunian objects centaurs Neptune Trojan trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) classical KBOs (cubewanos) resonant KBOs plutinos (2:3 resonance) scattered disc objects (SDOs) Oort cloud objects (OCOs)

As of November 2006, there are five^[1] known Trojan asteroids of Neptune which have the same orbital period as the planet.^[2] They lie in the elongated, curved regions around the L₄ and L₅ Lagrangian points 60° ahead of and behind Neptune. These are 2001 QR₃₂₂, 2004 UP₁₀, 2005 TN₅₃, 2005 TO₇₄ and 2006 RJ₁₀₃.

The discovery of 2005 TN₅₃ on a high inclination (>25°) orbit is significant as it suggests a ‘thick’ cloud of Trojans, resulting from a capture rather than formed in situ.

[edit] Notes and references

1. ^ 2005 TN₇₄, listed earlier as a Neptune Trojan, proved to be a scattered disk object.
2. ^ List Of Neptune Trojans (May 6, 2006) at cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/.