A new Trojan asteroid discovered in Earth's orbit

Scientists have reported that a new Trojan asteroid now shares its orbit with Earth.

The space body has been named 2020 XL5. This is the second such Trojan asteroid. Its discovery suggests that Trojans may be more common than we thought. Such asteroids are in the vicinity of Lagrange points L4 and L5, and hence in the 1:1 orbital resonance of any planets or their satellites.

Astronomers predict that 2020 XL5 will last at least 4,000 years before it disintegrates and disperses into space. Another Earth Trojan, called 2010 TK7, is around 300m in diameter. It will be pushed out of its current orbit in about 15,000 years.

Scientists hope to find more Earth's Trojans. It may be cheaper to reach some of them than the Moon.