(3708) Socus Jupiter Trojan
Discovered on 21 March 1974 by University of Chile at Cerro El Roble.
Socus, defending his brother, wounded Odysseus with a spear throw that would have been fatal had not the goddess Athena deflected it. Odysseus then speared Socus in the back and taunted him as he perished.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 1, #1, 9), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Socus is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Socus is 5.13 au from the Sun and 4.77 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 3708 |
| Provisional designation | 1974 FV1 |
| Orbit class | Jupiter Trojan |
| Diameter | 75.7 km (#414 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0590 |
| Rotation period | 6.55 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 9.28 |
| Orbital period | 11.9 years |
| Semi-major axis | 5.21 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 4.38 – 6.04 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.159 |
| Inclination | 13.4° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 3.40 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.