(9023) Mnesthus Jupiter Trojan
Discovered on 10 September 1988 by Shoemaker, C. S., Shoemaker, E. M. at Palomar.
Mnesthus was a Trojan who went to what is present-day Italy to fight the Latins as an officer of Aeneas. He distinguished himself at the funeral games for Anchises by competing in both the sailing and the archery contests, winning second place in sailing.Naming citation (20001013/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Mnesthus is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Mnesthus is 5.22 au from the Sun and 4.52 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9023 |
| Provisional designation | 1988 RG1 |
| Orbit class | Jupiter Trojan |
| Diameter | 49.2 km (#766 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0730 |
| Rotation period | 30.7 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 10.23 |
| Orbital period | 11.9 years |
| Semi-major axis | 5.20 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 4.87 – 5.54 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0638 |
| Inclination | 23.9° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 3.87 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.