Jupiter trojan

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The Jupiter trojans are divided into two groups: The Greek camp in front of and the Trojan camp trailing behind Jupiter in their orbit.

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The Jupiter trojans, commonly called trojan asteroids or simply trojans, are a large group of asteroids that share the planet Jupiter's orbit around the Sun. Relative to Jupiter, each trojan librates around one of Jupiter's stable Lagrange points: either ', existing 60° ahead of the planet in its orbit, or ', 60° behind. Jupiter trojans are distributed in two elongated, curved regions around these Lagrangian points with an average semi-major axis of about 5.2 AU. Like main-belt asteroids, Jupiter trojans form families. Temporary Venus trojans and Saturn trojans exist, as well as for 1 Ceres and 4 Vesta. The term "Trojan asteroid" is normally understood to specifically mean the Jupiter trojans because the first Trojans were discovered near Jupiter's orbit and Jupiter currently has by far the most known Trojans. Barnard believed he had seen the recently discovered Saturnian satellite Phoebe, which was only two arc-minutes away in the sky at the time, or possibly an asteroid. The object's identity was not understood until its orbit was calculated in 1999.

In 2018, at its 30th General Assembly in Vienna, the International Astronomical Union amended the naming convention for Jupiter trojans, allowing for asteroids with H larger than 12 (that is, a mean diameter smaller than approximately 22 kilometers, for an assumed albedo of 0.057) to be named after Olympic or Paralympic athletes, because there are now far more known Jupiter trojans than available names of Greek and Trojan warriors that fought in the Trojan war. As of 4 May 2026, 38 Jupiter trojans have been named after athletes.

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! width=90 | References

| 17415 Czesławlang || Czesław Lang (b. 1955) is one of the most famous Polish road-racing cyclists and a prominent promoter of cycling in Poland. Since 1993, he has been the Director of the Tour de Pologne. Lang was also a silver medalist at the 1980 Summer Olympics, and a bronze and silver medalist at the Union Cycliste Internationale's Road World Championships in 1977 and 1979. || Trojan ||

| 22010 Kuzmina || Anastasiya Kuzmina (b. 1984) is a Russian-born Slovak biathlete who has represented Slovakia since December 2008. She is the first biathlete to win gold medals in three consecutive Winter Olympics (2010 Vancouver, 2014 Sochi and 2018 Pyeongchang). || Greek ||

| 24426 Belova || Elena Dmitriyevna Novikova-Belova (b. 1947) is a retired fencer from Belarus who became the first woman to win four gold medals during five Olympics from 1968 through 1980. In 2007 she was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal by the International Olympic Committee. || Greek ||

| 25937 Malysz || Adam Małysz (b. 1977) is a Polish ski jumper who won multiple medals at the Olympic games in Salt Lake City (2002) and Vancouver (2010). He is also a four-time winner at the World Championships and the World Cup, and popularized ski jumping in Poland. || Greek ||

| 25938 Stoch || Kamil Stoch (b. 1987), is a Polish ski jumper, who has won three gold medals at two Olympics (2014 and 2018) and multiple medals at World Championships (2013, 2017 and 2019). He is also a three-time winner of the 4-Hills-Tournament. || Greek ||

| 28958 Binns || Hilda May (Torok) Binns (b. 1945) is a retired multi-sport athlete who won Canada’s first Paralympic gold medal in Tel Aviv in 1968. She won a total of six medals in two Paralympics and many medals and honors in other national and international competitions. || Greek ||

| 39285 Kipkeino || Kipchoge Keino (b. 1940) won the 1500-m event at the 1968 Olympics by a record-setting margin of 20 meters. His running career spanned 1962 to 1973. After retiring, he and his wife, Phyllis, worked to educate and care for orphans in Kenya. In 2016 he was awarded the first Olympic Laurel for education, culture, development and peace through sport. || Greek ||

| 39795 Marson || Roberto Marson (1944–2011) was a multi-sport athlete who competed in four Paralympics from 1964 to 1976 winning a total of 26 medals. He was named Outstanding Athlete at the 1968 games after winning ten gold medals. He was added to the International Paralympian Hall of Fame in 2012. || Greek ||

| 43212 Katosawao || Sawao Katō (b. 1946) competed in three Olympics from 1968 to 1976 winning twelve medals in gymnastics including eight gold medals, the most for any Japanese Olympic athlete. He was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2001. || Greek ||

| 43436 Ansschut || Johanna “Ans” Boekema-Schut (b. 1944) set an Olympic record in speed skating at the 1968 Olympics as a member of the Netherlands Olympic team. She set several world records in international events the following year. She retired from competition in 1971. || Greek ||

| 57915 Mahuchikh || Yaroslava Mahuchikh (b. 2001) is a Ukrainian high jumper and Olympic champion. After winning bronze at the 2020 Olympics, she claimed gold in 2024. Earlier that year, Yaroslava set a women’s high jump world record of 2.10 meters, surpassing a mark that had stood for 36 years. || Greek ||

| 111571 Bebevio || Beatrice Maria Adelaide Marzia Vio (b. 1997), known as Bebe Vio, is an Italian wheelchair fencer. She won at the 2014 and 2016 European championships, 2015 and 2017 World championships, and 2016 and 2020 Paralympic games in the foil B category. Her enthusiasm and joy for life is an extraordinary example of resilience and rebirth after a difficult illness. || Greek ||

| 117385 Maughan || Margaret Gardner Maughan (1928–2020) was a British Paralympian. In 1960, she won her nation’s first Paralympic gold medal. Margaret lit the cauldron at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. || Trojan ||

| 171424 Rudyfernández || Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Fernández Farrés (b. 1985) is a Spanish basketball player for Real Madrid. He is a two-time world champion (2006, 2019), a four-time continental champion (2009, 2011, 2015, 2022), and a triple Olympic runner-up (silver in 2008 and 2012, bronze in 2016). He has played in the NBA for Portland and Denver. || Greek ||

| 247341 Shaulladany || Shaul Paul Ladany (b. 1936) competed as a racewalker for Israel in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and set the world record for the 50-mile walk in April 1972. He survived the Holocaust and, later, the massacre at the Munich Olympics. In 2007 he was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal and was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. || Trojan ||

| 264068 Gudzinevičiūtė || Daina Gudzinevičiūtė (b. 1965) is an Olympic shooting champion from Lithuania, president of the National Olympic Committee, and a member of the International Olympic Committee. She won the trap-shooting gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Gudzinevičiūtė is respected for her contribution to the development of sport in Lithuania. || Greek ||

| 264119 Georgeorton || George Washington Orton (1873–1958) was a middle- and long-distance runner. In 1900, he became the first Canadian to win a medal at an Olympic Games. || Greek ||

| 306001 Joanllaneras || Joan Llaneras Roselló (b. 1969) is a Spanish cyclist who was a two-time Olympic champion and seven-time world champion. He participated in four Olympic Games between 1996 and 2008, winning four medals in total: gold in Sydney 2000; silver in Athens 2004; and gold and silver in Beijing 2008. || Greek ||

| 310025 Marcuscooper || Marcus Cooper Walz (b. 1994) is an English-born Spanish athlete who competes in flat-water canoeing. He has participated in three Olympic Games, obtaining three medals: gold in Rio de Janeiro 2016 (K1 1000 m event); silver in Tokyo 2020; and bronze in Paris 2024 (K4 500 m event). || Greek ||

| 312001 Siobhánhaughey || Siobhán Haughey (b. 1997) is a prominent Hong Kong swimmer specializing in freestyle and individual medley events. She has held 99 Hong Kong records and 23 Asian records in her career. Siobhán was the first Hong Kong athlete to win four Olympic medals. || Greek ||

| 312627 Brigitteyagüe || Brigitte Yagüe Enrique (b. 1981) is a Spanish athlete who competed in taekwondo and won the silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. She was world champion in 2003, 2007 and 2009, and European champion in 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2008. Brigitte was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit in 2010. || Greek ||

| 315941 Elenagómez || Elena Gómez Servera (b. 1985) is the only Spanish artistic gymnast to have been world champion, winning the gold floor medal at the 2002 World Championships in Hungary. She has won 11 medals in official international competitions, a record for a Spanish female gymnast. She was a member of the Spanish team that finished fifth at the 2004 Athens Olympics. || Greek ||

| 352655 Alekna || Mykolas Alekna (b. 2002) is a Lithuanian athlete who specializes in the discus throw. He won the silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 and is the current men’s world record holder of the event with 75.56 meters. || Greek ||

| 353194 Meilutytė || Rūta Meilutytė (b. 1997) is a Lithuanian swimmer and Olympic champion. She won the gold medal in the 100-m breaststroke at the 2012 London Olympics. Meilutytė has also achieved multiple World and European Championship titles, becoming one of the most successful Lithuanian swimmers in history. || Greek ||

| 542246 Kulcsár || Győző Kulcsár (1940–2018) was a Hungarian fencer who won four gold and two bronze medals in épée at four Olympic Games between 1964 and 1976. He also won three world titles with the Hungarian team. After retiring from competitions he worked as a fencing coach, his trainees include two Olympic champions. || Greek ||

| 545564 Sabonis || Arvydas Sabonis (b. 1964) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player and businessman. Sabonis won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics, and bronze medals at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. || Trojan ||

| 546275 Kozák || Danuta Kozák (b. 1987) is a Hungarian sprint canoeist, who won six gold, one silver and one bronze medals at four Olympic Games between 2008 and 2021. He also won fifteen gold medals at World Championships, and seventeen gold medals at European Championships. || Greek ||

| 546286 Fuchsjenő || Jenő Fuchs (1882–1955) was a four-time Hungarian Olympic champion saber fencer. He won both the individual and team events at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics. Jenő studied law at the University of Budapest, defended a Ph.D. in 1911, and became a lawyer. In 1982 he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. || Greek ||

| 546396 Szilágyiáron || Áron Szilágyi (b. 1990) is a Hungarian Olympic, European and world champion saber fencer. Since 2017, he has been a goodwill ambassador of the New Europe Foundation. In 2021, he accepted the invitation to become Social Chairman of the Forum for the Protection of Interests of Hungarian Elite Athletes. || Greek ||

| 567329 Zinaida || Zinaida Voronina, born Zinaida Borisovna Druzhinina (1947–2001), was an artistic gymnast who became the first Olympic champion in the history of Mari sports. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, she won gold, silver and bronze medals. || Greek ||

| 573759 Rocheva || Nina Rocheva, born Nina Petrovna Selyunina (1948–2022), was a cross-country skier who became the first world champion in the history of Mari sports. She won a silver medal in the 4 × 5 km relay at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. || Greek ||

| 595901 Lilybeaurepaire || Lillian de Beaurepaire (1892–1979) was an Australian Olympic swimmer and diver. She competed in the 1920 Olympics at Antwerp. She served as a lifesaver at Lorne Beach, Victoria, and is credited with saving 50 people from drowning, including a widely publicized heroic save of three men from rough surf in 1933. || Greek ||

| 601227 Ammann || Simon Ammann (b. 1981) is a Swiss ski jumper. He is one of the most successful athletes in the history of his sport, having won four individual Winter Olympic gold medals in 2002 and 2010. His other achievements include winning the 2007 Ski Jumping World Championships and the 2010 Ski Flying World Championships. || Greek ||

| 631626 Benedektibor || Tibor Benedek (1972–2020) was a Hungarian Olympic, European and World champion water polo player. He was captain of the men's national water polo team from 2013 to 2016, and was professional director of the UVSE Water Polo Sports Association from 2017 to 2020. Tibor is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame as part of Team Hungary 2000-2008. || Greek ||

| 724932 Pozniakas || Danas Pozniakas (1939–2005) was a Lithuanian heavyweight boxer and Olympic champion. He won the gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics. Pozniakas was also a two-time European champion and a prominent figure in international boxing during the 1960s. Pozniakas is remembered as one of Lithuania’s greatest boxers of all time. || Greek ||

| 765015 Marčiulionis || Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis (b. 1964) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. Widely considered one of the greatest international players, he was one of the first Europeans to become a regular in the National Basketball Association. He won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics, and bronze medals at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. || Trojan ||

| 811110 Ubartas || Romas Ubartas (b. 1960) is a Lithuanian discus thrower and Olympic champion. He won the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics, earning Lithuania’s first-ever Olympic gold medal. Ubartas also won a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics and became European champion in 1986. His personal best throw was 70.06 meters. || Greek ||

| 826856 Commodorecochran || Commodore Shelton Cochran (1902–1969) was the first athlete from Mississippi to win an Olympic gold medal, running the first leg of the USA's 4×400-m relay team at the 1924 Paris games. Cochran attended Mississippi State University, in Starkville, where this asteroid was discovered. || Greek ||

Numbers and mass

thumb|right|A [[gravitational potential contour plot showing Earth's Lagrangian points; and are ahead (above) and behind (below) the planet, respectively. Jupiter's Lagrangian points are similarly situated in its much larger orbit.]]

Estimates of the total number of Jupiter trojans are based on deep surveys of limited areas of the sky. The binary's orbit is extremely close, at 650 km, compared to 35,000 km for the primary's Hill sphere. whereas the distribution for main-belt asteroids was found to be non-Maxwellian, with a deficit of periods in the range 8–10 hours.

Composition

Spectroscopically, the Jupiter trojans mostly are D-type asteroids, which predominate in the outer regions of the asteroid belt. The Jupiter trojans' spectra are similar to those of the irregular moons of Jupiter and, to a certain extent, comet nuclei, though Jupiter trojans are spectrally very different from the redder Kuiper belt objects.

A team from the Keck Observatory in Hawaii announced in 2006 that it had measured the density of the binary Jupiter trojan 617 Patroclus as being less than that of water ice (0.8 g/cm<sup>3</sup>), suggesting that the pair, and possibly many other Trojan objects, more closely resemble comets or Kuiper belt objects in composition—water ice with a layer of dust—than they do the main-belt asteroids. In a variation of this theory Jupiter captures trojans during its initial growth then migrates as it continues to grow. During Jupiter's migration the orbits of objects in horseshoe orbits are distorted causing the L4 side of these orbits to be over occupied. As a result, an excess of trojans is trapped on the L4 side when the horseshoe orbits shift to tadpole orbits as Jupiter grows. This model also leaves the Jupiter trojan population 3–4 orders of magnitude too large.

The second theory proposes that the Jupiter trojans were captured during the migration of the giant planets described in the Nice model. In the Nice model the orbits of the giant planets became unstable years after the Solar System's formation when Jupiter and Saturn crossed their 1:2 mean-motion resonance. Encounters between planets resulted in Uranus and Neptune being scattered outward into the primordial Kuiper belt, disrupting it and throwing millions of objects inward. This process can also occur later when Jupiter and Saturn cross weaker resonances.

In a revised version of the Nice model Jupiter trojans are captured when Jupiter encounters an ice giant during the instability. In this version of the Nice model one of the ice giants (Uranus, Neptune, or a lost fifth planet) is scattered inward onto a Jupiter-crossing orbit and is scattered outward by Jupiter causing the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn to quickly separate. When Jupiter's semi-major axis jumps during these encounters existing Jupiter trojans can escape and new objects with semi-major axes similar to Jupiter's new semi-major axis are captured. Following its last encounter the ice giant can pass through one of the libration points and perturb their orbits leaving this libration point depleted relative to the other. After the encounters end some of these Jupiter trojans are lost and others captured when Jupiter and Saturn are near weak mean motion resonances such as the 3:7 resonance via the mechanism of the original Nice model. Levison et al. believe that roughly 200 ejected Jupiter trojans greater than 1 km in diameter might be travelling the Solar System, with a few possibly on Earth-crossing orbits. Some of the escaped Jupiter trojans may become Jupiter-family comets as they approach the Sun and their surface ice begins evaporating. Lucy is set to explore seven Jupiter trojans. It was launched on October 16, 2021, and will arrive at the Trojan cloud in 2027 after two Earth gravity assists and a fly-by of a main-belt asteroid. It will then return to the vicinity of Earth for another gravity assist to take it to Jupiter's Trojan cloud where it will visit 617 Patroclus.

Notes

External links

NASA's WISE Colors in Unknowns on Jupiter Asteroids (NASA 2012-322 : 15 October 2012)
3D Gravity Simulation of the Ten Largest Jupiter Trojan Asteroids

Numbers and mass

Composition

See also

Notes

External links