Since its first sighting on Sept. 3, scientists had suspected that the 60-foot-long object, named JOO2E3, was a small asteroid. But further observations have proven that JOO2E3 was manufactured by humans, and is probably the long-lost third stage of the Apollo 12 rocket that took astronauts to the moon in 1969. Although JOO2E3 can be seen by amateur astronomers using 8- to 10-inch telescopes, high-tech scopes like NASAs Hubble Space Telescope couldnt conclusively identify it. The Hubbles 2.4-meter diameter mirror is limited to capturing images of objects no smaller than 80 meters across. J002E3 is, at best, about 30 meters across. JOO2E3 was identified partly through reports from amateur astronomers who tracked the objects position over a two-week period and supplied scientists with enough data to extrapolate JOO2E3s past and present orbit. Analysis by a high-power telescope provided the final clues: JOO2E3s surface is covered in white paint.
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