624 Hektor
- Largest of the Trojan Asteroids.
- Two maverick groups of asteroids in same orbit of Jupiter.
- One group leads Jupiter by 60°.
- The second group follows by 60°.
- Named for the heroes of the Trojan Wars.
- When viewed from Earth, Hektor varies in brightness.
- These variations tend to indicate an oblong shape tumbling in space.
- An alternate theory is a round body dark and light hemispheres.
- Hektor proved to be strongly elongated.
- Neighboring asteroids are no more than half Hektor's size.
- It is possible that Hektor is an amalgamation of two smaller asteroids during a low-speed collision.
- Another theory suggests other forces combined to form its peanut-like shape:
- Gravity
- Tidal streching
- Rotation
- Weak, fractured composition
- Hektor is referred to as a "compound" asteroid.
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