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Podcast: Travelers In The Night
Episode: 92E-104-Jupiter Trojan Confusion
Description: Humans know of approximately half million main belt asteroids orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. We have also found approximately 11,000 Earth approaching asteroids. Members of these two groups can be recognized by briefly observing their motion since their paths about the Sun are very different. Jupiter Trojans, on the other hand, occupy a point either 60 degrees in front or behind Jupiter as it moves about the Sun. Their orbit around the Sun takes about 5 and a half years so short pieces of one of their orbits can mimic the path of an Earth approaching object. When Jupiter Trojans are...