Visualization of Asteroids from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

universetoday.com ^ | February 22, 2014 | Nancy Atkinson on

[BenLurkin]

In 2008, a group of astronomers led by Alex Parker did a study of the size distribution of asteroid families using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Asteroid families often have distinctive optical colors, the team said, and they were able to offer an improved way to separate out the family members into their colors. This resultant animation put together just this week by Parker shows the orbital motions of over 100,000 asteroids, with colors illustrating the compositional diversity and relative sizes of the asteroids.

All main-belt asteroids and Trojan asteroids with orbits known to high precision are shown in the video and the animation is rendered with a timestep of 3 days. Via Twitter, Parker said this animation took — from start to finish — 20 hours to render on 8 CPUs.

[BenLurkin]

video link at link

[bigheadfred]

Asteroid families often have distinctive optical colors

thats racccissst

[cripplecreek]

Kinda wonderin about the clumps. Leading and trailing Jupiter maybe?

[BenLurkin]

I believe those are gravitational l locked to Jupiter in some way. There is some kind of catchy name for them but I don’t remember what it is.

[cripplecreek]

Jovian Trojans

[bigheadfred]

perhaps tidal locking?

[Aevery_Freeman]

Yes they are. Jupiter is located half-way between on the lesser arc.

Jupiter's Trojan Asteroids Show Their True Colors

[cripplecreek]

From what I’m reading even earth has some trojan asteroids orbiting ahead and behind us.

[BenLurkin]

Interesting, thanks!

[Aevery_Freeman]

...some kind of catchy name...

LOL! The catchy name is Trojans.

[Don Corleone]

“Duck!”

[lagrange point1]

The Trojan asteroids are trapped gravitationally at Jupiter’s LaGrange points (L4 and L5). These points are stable against small perturbations, which would normally cause them to drift away. There are 5 LaGrange points, but only L4 and L5 are stable in three dimensions, The others are quasi-stable, or stable in 2 dimensions only.

[Focault's Pendulum]

That’s a great animation!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

...the orbital motions of over 100,000 asteroids

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[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin, nice extra to APoD.

Painted Stone: Asteroids in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

[SunkenCiv]

Painted Stone: Asteroids in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

[KoRn]

I can’t possibly imagine you knowing the first thing regarding LaGrange points.

Geesh....

[Las Vegas Dave]

Posted for the inquiring mind..
( http://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/f-lagrange.html )

[JoeProBono]

[Hot Tabasco]

From what I’m reading even earth has some trojan asteroids orbiting ahead and behind us.

For protection?