Jupiter's Trojan asteroids

Hal Levison explains how Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids could help distinguish competing accounts of Solar System evolution. The discussion compares scenarios in which giant planets formed near their present orbits with models involving substantial migration from a more compact configuration. It considers why the Lucy spacecraft’s observations can test these ideas and how discoveries of other planetary systems sharpen the questions.

This seminar introduces the physical properties of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids and the scientific aims of NASA's Lucy mission. It reviews the mission's planned encounters as described at the time of the talk. It also discusses the 2023 discovery of a binary asteroid whose companion has a contact-binary structure.