2011/03/31 by A. A. Christou, Apostolos A. Christou, D. J. Asher +1 · 3 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Spacecraft Dynamics and Control #astro-ph.EP
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18595.x
Accepted in MNRAS; 6 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables
arxiv created 2011/03/31 · openalex publication_date 2011/04/12 · arxiv updated 2015/05/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present a dynamical investigation of a newly found asteroid, 2010 SO16, and the discovery that it is a horseshoe companion of the Earth. The object's absolute magnitude (H= 20.7) makes this the largest object of its type known to-date. By carrying out numerical integrations of dynamical clones, we find that (a) its status as a horseshoe is secure given the current accuracy of its ephemeris, and (b) the time spent in horseshoe libration with the Earth is several times 105 yr, two orders of magnitude longer than determined for other horseshoe asteroids of the Earth. Further, using a model based on Hill's approximation to the three-body problem, we show that, apart from the low eccentricity which prevents close encounters with other planets or the Earth itself, its stability can be attributed to the value of its Jacobi constant far from the regime that allows transitions into other co-orbital modes or escape from the resonance altogether. We provide evidence that the eventual escape of the asteroid from horseshoe libration is caused by the action of planetary secular perturbations and the stochastic evolution of the eccentricity. The questions of its origin and the existence of as-yet-undiscovered co-orbital companions of the Earth are discussed.