Objects That Share the Same Orbit are Common in the Solar System. But we’ve Never Seen co-Orbital Exoplanets. Why?

In both the study of ancient history and the study of exoplanets, the question of where all the Trojans are is relevant. Most of the Trojan asteroids that follow Jupiter are in our solar system. They aren't found in any star systems with exoplanets. Researchers from the SETI Institute and NASA's Ames Research Center think they have a reason why.

An extreme version of tides may be the cause according to Anthony Dobrovolski. Most people think of tides as a reason for the water to go in and out of shorelines, but there is more to it than that. The planet's rotation is affected by the amount of water moving back and forth on the surface. The Moon is able to slip farther and farther away because of the slower rotation.

The speed and distances are almost invisible, with the difference being 1.78 milliseconds over a century and 3.8 cm per year. You are talking about some significant changes if you scale those up to billions of years. The team thought about how much tidal forces might be involved in shaping the orbits of planets.

It could be a big role. An Earth-size planet can be placed at either the L4 or L5 lagrange points of a giant planet. The tides caused by the three-body system caused the planet to spiral out of control, knocking it into either its giant neighbor or the star.

This model would show how unlikely it would be for a planet of that size to form in the path of a large planet. There is a chance that a smaller planet, or even a set of asteroids such as the Trojans and Greeks, might be able to hold the same circle as a larger planet.

It will only be a matter of time before we find any of these objects. The internal make-up of any such co-orbital planet will be informed by the new model. There is a mission on its way to theTrojan asteroids. Lucy can help us understand what the co-orbital objects in our own solar system look like, as well as helping us understand what they might look like in other star systems. Finding the USC will continue to be a question with a lot of different roots.

You can learn more.

Why haven't we discovered co- planets? Is it possible that Tides could offer an answer?

Dobrovolskis and Lissauer are wondering if tides affect exoplanets.

Space.com is wondering if there are exoplanets.

UT is the world's first asteroid.

Even before NASA's Lucy Mission has a chance to visit, Jupiter'sTrojan Asteroids offer surprises.