Planetarium

Daily Astronomer Image Page

DAILY ASTRONOMER IMAGE PAGE

Greetings!

This page presents images to accompany various Daily Astronomer images. (The "Daily Astronomer" is an free e-mail article sent M - F at midnight. To sign up, just send an e-mail to egleason@usm.maine.edu with "DA" written in the subject line.)

You are, of course, welcome to admire the image even if you're not subscribed. So, enjoy!

FOLLOWING IMAGE TO ACCOMPANY:

DA: January 29, 2013: Trojan Wars and Oscillating Asteroids

LaGrangian Points

IMAGE 1: L POINTS Any orbiting system contains five "L Points," stable regions where other bodies can establish 'oscillating:' orbits. The three colinear points (L1, L2, and L3) are the least stable. The Trojan Asteroids oscillate around the L4 and L5 points along Jupiter's orbit.

IMAGE 2: THE "TROJAN ASTEROIDS" are divided into two "camps." The "Greeks" ride along the L4 point; the "Trojans" follow at L5. Notice how dispersed these asteroids appear: indicating that the asteroids aren't stationary along these positions, but are instead moving in orbits centered around them.