Jupiter's Trojan Asteroids
Students learn how the L4 and L5 Lagrange points hold two swarms of Trojan asteroids in step with Jupiter, why scientists see the Trojans as leftovers from planet formation, and how NASA's Lucy mission, launched in October 2021, plans to fly past several Trojans beginning with Eurybates in 2027.
Grades 5-8About 15 minutes of narrated flight, plus discussion stops9 stops
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What students will see and do
Students fly to Jupiter, near the Sun, above the solar system, back to Jupiter, to Earth, to the Lucy spacecraft, to the Trojan asteroid Eurybates, to Jupiter again and finally to Earth. Aetherion pauses for discussion near the Sun (balanced forces at L4 and L5), at Lucy (why the surprise moon of Dinkinesh matters) and at Eurybates (what collision fragments reveal).
Learning objectives
- Explain what the L4 and L5 Lagrange points are and why objects can stay there.
- Describe why scientists think the Trojan asteroids are leftovers from the formation of the planets.
- Describe the Lucy mission's route, including its Earth gravity assists and planned Trojan flybys.
- Identify Eurybates as Lucy's first Trojan target and explain what scientists hope to learn there.
NGSS connections
| MS-ESS1-2 | Students explain how the combined gravity of the Sun and Jupiter holds the Trojan asteroids at the L4 and L5 points. |
|---|---|
| MS-PS2-4 | Students connect the masses of the Sun, Jupiter and Earth to the gravitational effects that create Lagrange points and power gravity assists. |
| MS-ETS1-1 | Students consider how mission designers used Earth flybys and practice targets to meet the goals of the Lucy mission. |
Stops on this journey
- Jupiter's Companions
- The Balancing Points (discussion stop)
- Two Great Camps
- Leftovers from the Beginning
- Lucy Leaves Home
- Surprises Along the Way (discussion stop)
- First Stop: Eurybates (discussion stop)
- The Rest of the Grand Tour
- Trojans Close to Home
Vocabulary
- Trojan asteroid
- Lagrange point
- L4 and L5
- gravity assist
- flyby
- collision family
- binary asteroid
- orbit