| Minorplanet: | yes |
| Background: |
|
| 5261 Eureka | |
| Discoverer: | David H. Levy and Henry Holt |
| Discovered: | 20 June 1990 |
| Alt Names: | 1990 MB |
| Named After: | Eureka |
| Epoch: | 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) |
| Aphelion: | 1.6222abbr=onNaNabbr=on |
| Perihelion: | 1.4249AU |
| Semimajor: | 1.5236AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.064766 |
| Period: | 1.88 yr (686.89 d) |
| Inclination: | 20.280° |
| Asc Node: | 245.057° |
| Arg Peri: | 95.456° |
| Mean Anomaly: | 145.29° |
| Avg Speed: | 24.11 km/s |
| Satellites: | 1 |
| Dimensions: | 1.3 km ~2–4 kmH |
| Abs Magnitude: | 16.0, 16.1 |
| Single Temperature: | ~250 K |
| Spectral Type: | S(I) (Gaffey) |
| Albedo: | 0.39 |
| Mean Motion: | / day |
| Rotation: | 2.6902abbr=onNaNabbr=on |
| Observation Arc: | 13267 days (36.32 yr) |
| Uncertainty: | 0 |
| Moid: | 0.497052AU |
| Jupiter Moid: | 3.52162AU |
| Tisserand: | 4.428 |
5261 Eureka is the first Mars trojan discovered.[1] It was discovered by David H. Levy and Henry Holt at Palomar Observatory on 20 June 1990. It trails Mars (at the) at a distance varying by only 0.3 AU during each revolution (with a secular trend superimposed, changing the distance from 1.5–1.8 AU around 1850 to 1.3–1.6 AU around 2400). Minimum distances from Earth, Venus, and Jupiter, are 0.5, 0.8, and 3.5 AU, respectively.
Long-term numerical integration shows that the orbit is stable. Kimmo A. Innanen and Seppo Mikkola note that "contrary to intuition, there is clear empirical evidence for the stability of motion around the and points of all the terrestrial planets over a timeframe of several million years".
Since the discovery of 5261 Eureka, the Minor Planet Center has recognized three other asteroids as Martian trojans: at the point, at the point,[1] and, also at the point.[2] At least five other asteroids in near-1:1 resonances with Mars have been discovered, but they do not exhibit trojan behavior. They are,, (36017) 1999 ND43, and (152704) 1998 SD4. Due to close orbital similarities, most of the other, smaller, members of the L5 group are hypothesized to be fragments of 5261 Eureka that were detached after it was spun up by the YORP effect (consistent with its rotational period of 2.69 h).[3]
The infrared spectrum for 5261 Eureka is typical for an A-type asteroid, but the visual spectrum is consistent with an evolved form of achondrite called an angrite. A-class asteroids are tinted red in hue, with a moderate albedo. The asteroid is located deep within a stable Lagrangian zone of Mars, which is considered indicative of a primordial origin—meaning the asteroid has most likely been in this orbit for much of the history of the Solar System.
| S/2011 (5261) 1 | |
| Apsis: | astron |
| Discovered: | 28 November 2011 |
| Mpc Name: | (5261) Eureka |
| Epoch: | 9 December 2014 |
| Semimajor: | 2.1 km |
| Period: | 0.7054 ± 0.0004 d |
| Dimensions: | 0.46 km |
On 28 November 2011, a natural satellite of 5261 Eureka was found. It has yet to be named, and its provisional designation is S/2011 (5261) 1. The moon is about 0.46 km in diameter and orbits 2.1 km from Eureka. The satellite's existence was announced in September 2014.[4]