[meteorite-list] There IS an Earth Trojan Asteroid (probably)!

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Jun 24 20:49:15 2005
Message-ID: <200506250048.j5P0mUj20418_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

>
> 3753 Cruithne and several other asteroids share the Earth's
> orbit but are not Trojans, but complicated "horseshoes":
> <http://www.astro.uwo.ca/~wiegert/3753/3753.html>
>

3753 Cruithne does not share Earth's orbit:

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db_shm?sstr=3753

Cruithne's orbit crosses the orbits of Venus and Mars, and comes
near the orbit of Mercury. Earth's orbit is not like that at all.
Cruithne and Earth do not share an orbit, and they are in separate
orbits around the Sun.

Cruithe's orbital period is 0.9966 years, which means it is very
close to Earth's orbital period. Cruithne is also not
a satellite of Earth like some people have claimed. Cruithne
orbits the Sun, not the Earth.

Ron Baalke
Received on Fri 24 Jun 2005 08:48:30 PM PDT