Three new objects known as “Trojan” asteroids have been discovered by DTM researchers and the Gemini Observatory. Locked roughly into the same orbit as Neptune, these objects offers evidence that Neptune, much like its bigger cousin Jupiter, hosts thick clouds of Trojans in its orbit. These asteroids probably share a common source. Hubble Fellow Scott Sheppard is the lead author on the paper, which appears in the June 15 online issue of Science Express. He comments in a Carnegie Institution press release, “It is exciting to have quadrupled the population of known Neptune Trojans. In the process, we have learned a lot both about how these asteroids become locked into their stable orbits, as well as what they might be made of, which makes the discovery especially rewarding.”

The Neptune Trojans—now numbering four—are only the fourth, stable group of Trojan asteroids observed around the Sun. Others exist in the Kuiper Belt just beyond Neptune, in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and in Jupiter’s orbit. Studies suggest that the Neptune Trojans are more numerous than both the asteroids in the main belt and the Jupiter Trojans, but they are difficult to observe due to their distance from the Sun. To view this discovery’s current press coverage, click here.