Asteroids from the family of Eureka are fragments of igneous rocks on Mars.
An international team of astronomers has shown that the Martian Trojan asteroids are fragments of the red planet. A study published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
“We have shown that asteroids from the family of Eureka are fragments of magmatic rocks of Mars”, — stated in the publication the authors.
The chemical composition of eight large Trojan asteroids of Mars (first of all, the content rocks, particularly olivine), reminiscent of the crust and mantle of the red planet, which is not typical for asteroids, located in the inner reaches of the Solar system.
Performed by means of telescope VLT (Very Large Telescope) spectral study showed that the eight large Trojan asteroids have a common origin. They are rich in olivine, pyroxene, garnet and other minerals typical for the terrestrial planets.
Trojan asteroids originated, as the authors suggest, as a result of collision of the planet with a large asteroid, and its present position occupied in the course of evolution of the orbital parameters of Mars. Previously, scientists believed that these heavenly bodies originated from the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Trojan asteroids of the red planet are located in Lagrangian point L4 or L5 system, Mars, the Sun, concerning which they are in a stable position.
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