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A preliminary analysis of the orbit of the Mars Trojan asteroid (5261) Eureka

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Abstract

Observations and results of orbit determination of the first known Mars Trojan asteroid (5261) Eureka are presented. We have numerically calculated the evolution of the orbital elements, and have analyzed the behavior of the motion during the next 2 Myr. Strong perturbations by planets other than Mars seem to stabilize the eccentricity of the asteroid by stirring the high order resonances present in the elliptic restricted problem. As a result, the orbit appears stable at least on megayear timescales. The difference of the mean longitudes of Mars and Eureka and the semimajor axis of the asteroid form a pair of variables that essentially behave in an adiabatic manner, while the evolution of the other orbital elements is largely determined by the perturbations due to other planets.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Turku University Observatory, Tuorla, 21500, Piikkiö, Finland

    Seppo Mikkola

  2. Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele Street, M3J 1P3, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Kimmo Innanen

  3. Lowell Observatory, 1400 West Mars Hill Road, 86001, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    Karri Muinonen & Edward Bowell

Authors
  1. Seppo Mikkola
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  2. Kimmo Innanen
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  3. Karri Muinonen
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  4. Edward Bowell
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Mikkola, S., Innanen, K., Muinonen, K. et al. A preliminary analysis of the orbit of the Mars Trojan asteroid (5261) Eureka. Celestial Mech Dyn Astr 58, 53–64 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692117

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692117

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