Hunting asteroids that share our orbit

Some asteroids share a planet orbit, riding at balance points ahead of or behind it. These are called Trojan asteroids. Astronomers searched for such rocks near earth using a 2.5 meter survey telescope. They looked at a balance point known as L4, ahead of our planet. Finding them adds to our map of objects that travel close to earth. That map matters for both science and safety. The search is a scientific paper, one careful sweep of a tricky patch of sky.

License: TypeCram Original