Overview

In-Person at UW PAA A102 (Physics/Astronomy Auditorium) AND hybrid via Zoom

Time capsules from the birth of our Solar System more than 4 billion years ago, Trojan asteroids orbit the Sun in two loose groups, with one group leading ahead of Jupiter in its path, the other trailing behind. Clustered around the two Lagrange points equidistant from the Sun and Jupiter, the Trojans are stabilized by the Sun and its largest planet in a gravitational balancing act. These primitive bodies hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system.

Lucy will be the first space mission to study the Trojans.