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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Important Discovery - TROJAN ASTEROID DISCOVERED AS PART OF AIASC 2011

The following was announced at a meeting of Global Hands on Universe yesterday, by Prof. Patrick Miller. This is the 1st time a TROJAN ASTEROID HAS BEEN DISCOVERED IN THE HISTORY OF IASC:

P. Chawla & A. Aggarwal are two students from Bal Bharti Public School (New Delhi), Rajinder Nagar. On June 29th they discovered the asteroid 2011 MV9 that was confirmed and moved from preliminary to provisional status.

Yesterday, the Minor Planet Center announced that 2011 MV9 is not just any ordinary asteroid. It is a very rare type of asteroid that astronomers call a "Trojan." 

The Trojain asteroids come from the Main Belt but have been captured gravitationally by Jupiter. These objects move 60 degrees ahead of and behind Jupiter in its orbit

This is an outstanding discovery...a wonderful accomplishment. Congratulations!!
  


Prof Patrick Miller, 
Director, 
IASC

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