Question

The Trojan asteroids have orbits that:

1) cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion.
2) stay out beyond Neptune.
3) stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter.
4) cross the orbit of Mars, but not Earth, at perihelion.
5) are, on average, closer to the Sun than we are.

Answer 1

The orbits of Trojan asteroids are stable regions known as the L4 and L5 Lagrangian points, located approximately sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter, not crossing Earth or Mars' orbits, nor lying beyond Neptune or closer to the Sun than Earth.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Trojan asteroids are a group of asteroids that share Jupiter's orbit around the Sun, co-orbital with the planet. Unlike other asteroids that mostly exist within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the Trojans are located in two distinct regions of space that lie approximately sixty degrees ahead of and behind Jupiter in its orbit.

These regions are known as the L4 and L5 Lagrangian points, and they are areas where the gravitational forces of Jupiter and the Sun combine to create a stable region where objects can remain in a relatively fixed position with respect to Jupiter and the Sun.

In the context of your question, the correct statement about the Trojan asteroids’ orbits is that they: stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter. They do not cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion, stay out beyond Neptune, cross the orbit of Mars but not Earth, or are on average closer to the Sun than Earth.