2001 QR322 – an update on Neptune’s first unstable Trojan companion
Paper
Paper/Presentation Title | 2001 QR322 – an update on Neptune’s first unstable Trojan companion |
---|---|
Presentation Type | Paper |
Authors | Horner, Jonti (Author) and Lykawka, Patryk Sofia (Author) |
Editors | Short, Wayne and Caprarelli, Graziella |
Journal or Proceedings Title | Proceedings of the 15th Australian Space Research Conference (ASRC 2015) |
Number of Pages | 10 |
Year | 2016 |
Place of Publication | Sydney, Australia |
ISBN | 9780977574094 |
Web Address (URL) of Paper | http://www.nssa.com.au/15asrc/resources/15ASRC-proceedings.pdf.zip |
Conference/Event | 15th Australian Space Research Conference (ASRC 2015) |
Event Details | 15th Australian Space Research Conference (ASRC 2015) Parent Australian Space Science Conference (ASSC) Delivery In person Event Date 29 Sep 2015 to end of 01 Oct 2015 Event Location Canberra, Australia |
Abstract | The Neptune Trojans are the most recent addition to the panoply of Solar system small body populations. The orbit of the first discovered member, 2001 QR322, was investigated shortly after its discovery, based on early observations of the object, and it was found to be dynamically stable on timescales comparable to the age of the Solar system. As further observations were obtained of the object over the following years, the best-fit solution for its orbit changed. We therefore carried out a new study of 2001 QR322’s orbit in 2010, finding that it lay on the boundary between dynamically stable and unstable regions in Neptune’s Trojan cloud, and concluding that further observations were needed to determine the true stability of the object’s orbit. Here we follow up on that earlier work, and present the preliminary results of a dynamical study using an updated fit to 2001 QR322’s orbit. Despite the improved precision with which the orbit of 2001 QR322 is known, we find that the best-fit solution remains balanced on a knife-edge, lying between the same regions of stability and instability noted in our earlier work. In the future, we intend to carry out new observations that should hopefully refine the orbit to an extent that its true nature can finally be disentangled. |
Keywords | Neptune Trojans; solar system formation; solar system evolution; Centaurs; comets; 2001 QR322; dynamical methods |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 510109. Stellar astronomy and planetary systems |
519999. Other physical sciences not elsewhere classified | |
510101. Astrobiology | |
Public Notes | Copyright © 2016 National Space Society of Australia Ltd. |
Byline Affiliations | Computational Engineering and Science Research Centre |
Kindai University, Japan | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q3630/2001-qr322-an-update-on-neptune-s-first-unstable-trojan-companion
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