Nice Orbital Simulations of Earth's Second Moon

> The studies regarding 3753 Cruithne are now a couple of years
old. My
> question, to anybody who might know the answer, is this: Is
there
> anything special about Cruithne that distinguishes it from the
several
> other known NEOs having semi-major axes almost exactly 1.0 AU
(e.g., 2000
> PH5, 2001 GO2, 2002 AA29, 2000 EE104, 2000 WN10, 1986 TO
(Cruithne), 1998
> UP1)? Perhaps the researcher who worked on Cruithne could just
as easily
> have considered one of a handful of other NEOs having semi-major
axes
> equal to 1 AU, had such a NEO been known at the time of his/her
research.
> Or perhaps there's really something special about Cruithne.
Certainly
> Cruithne was discovered earlier than some of the other NEOs having
> semi-major axes equal to 1 AU.
>
> Ron
> ********

Please don't take this as gospel, because it is just my layman's
understanding of this issue.

I think what makes Cruithne unique is the 1:1 resonant orbit, which
brings Cruithne to very close proximity of earth, year after year.

I think that this issue may set Cruithne apart from the other NEOs
that orbit in the vicinity of 1 A.U. It wouldn't be much use to us
if the NEO transits the earth's orbit while the earth is on the
other side of its orbit.

The last simulation on the webpage showed how the two bodies always
almost intersected as they approached each other from their
different orbits.

But hey, as I've already written, I could be completely wrong about
this. From reading your postings, I know that you follow this issue
more closely than I, but your question you didn't mention the 1:1
resonant orbit, and from my reading that is an important feature of
the orbit. My ASSUMPTION is that is what sets it apart from the
others.