HIGHLIGHTS 

2020 XL5 is the name of the Trojan asteroid.

Earth and 2020 XL5 are in the same orbit.

It will continue to circle the Earth for another 3,500 years.

WHY IN NEWS 

The possibility of a second Trojan asteroid passing through Earth's orbit has been ruled out. It is, in fact, genuine, according to researchers. In 2020, astronomers thought they had spotted a second Trojan asteroid circling Earth, sparking a flurry of discussion. Following the most recent developments, scientists confirm that the first verified Trojan asteroid isn't an unusual instance. Trojan asteroids are small space rocks that orbit their host planet in a common orbit. This sort of asteroids has been found orbiting other planets in the solar system. However, until today, it was considered that asteroid 2010 TK7 was the only Trojan asteroid orbiting the Sun alongside Earth.

also read : https://tinyurl.com/2e3nb8ea

2020 XL5 has now joined the fray. 2020 XL5 is about three times longer than 2010 TK7, measuring roughly 1.2 kilometres wide. Scientists are certain that Earth's newly found companion will stay in the same orbit for at least another 3,500 years. Astronomers using the Pan-STARRS 1 survey telescope in Hawaii initially discovered the asteroid 2020 XL5 in December 2020. The Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union then added 2020 XL5 to its database. According to Toni Santana-Ros, the study's principal author, the discovery of 2020 XL5 as an Earth Trojan verified that 2010 TK7 was not an exception. Astronomers are now looking for more Earth Trojans, notably the first of their kind, as a result of this finding.

also read : https://tinyurl.com/5n7r43nf

Following the discovery of 2020 XL5, astronomer Tony Dunn used NASA's JPL-Horizon software to calculate the object's trajectory. The object circles the fourth Earth-Sun Lagrange Point, or L4, which is a gravitationally balanced zone surrounding our planet and the star, according to the calculations. Asteroid 2010 TK7, a Trojan asteroid, is likewise at L4. 'These were very challenging observations,' said co-author Cesar Briceo, a researcher at the National Science Foundation's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab), 'requiring the telescope to record correctly at its smallest altitude limit, as the item was very cheap on the western horizon at sunrise.' 

also read : https://tinyurl.com/3kppwrmw

Scientists first noted that 2020 XL5 was a C-type asteroid and then confirmed it was an Earth Trojan using archival data from SOAR (Southern Astrophysical Research) and equipment such as the SOAR Telescope in Chile, the Lowell Discovery Telescope in Arizona, and the European Space Agency's Optical Ground Station in Tenerife, Canary Islands.