These points are 60 degrees ahead of and 60 degrees behind the Earth, and since 60 degrees (see image above) is one-sixth of the Earths orbit this amounts to two months separation.If a small-mass things is alarmed so as to move away from L4 or L5, the combined gravity of the sun and Earth draws it back– flexing its course into a steady orbit around the Lagrange point that looks kidney bean formed relative to Earth.XL5, however no fireball2020 XL5 is being called a Trojan buddy to the Earth by analogy with Jupiters Trojan asteroids. Thats only about 300 meters across, so 2020 XL5 substantially outmasses it at about 1.2 km across.There are probably many more Earth Trojans, but they are tough to find from Earth since they can only ever be seen relatively low in the pre-dawn sky if at L4 like both 2010 TK7 and 2020 XL5, or just after sunset if at L5 (where none have yet been found). Their orbits are not steady over millions of years, so they cant be residues that have been there ever given that Earths formation however need to have drifted into place later.However, the SOAR observations were able to reveal that 2020 XL5 appears to be a carbon-rich asteroid (called C-type). Santana-Ros notes that 2020 XL5 has an orbit that bobs above and below Earths orbital plane. The same uses to 2010 TK7.However, the research study points out that if other Earth Trojans are found in orbits that are less tilted, these might make helpful bases as staging posts for exploration of the solar system.
These points are 60 degrees ahead of and 60 degrees behind the Earth, and due to the fact that 60 degrees (see image above) is one-sixth of the Earths orbit this amounts to 2 months separation.If a small-mass item is disturbed so as to move away from L4 or L5, the combined gravity of the sun and Earth draws it back– bending its course into a stable orbit around the Lagrange point that looks kidney bean shaped relative to Earth.XL5, however no fireball2020 XL5 is being called a Trojan buddy to the Earth by analogy with Jupiters Trojan asteroids. Thats only about 300 meters throughout, so 2020 XL5 substantially outmasses it at about 1.2 km across.There are most likely lots of more Earth Trojans, but they are hard to find from Earth due to the fact that they can only ever be seen fairly low in the pre-dawn sky if at L4 like both 2010 TK7 and 2020 XL5, or just after sundown if at L5 (where none have actually yet been found). The same applies to 2010 TK7.However, the research study points out that if other Earth Trojans are discovered in orbits that are less slanted, these may make convenient bases as staging posts for exploration of the solar system.
