How does J002E3 jump back and forth between a Sun-centered orbit and an Earth-centered orbit?
“It moves through the L1-point,” explains Chodas. Also known as “the 1st Lagrangian point,” the L1 point is a location in space 1.5 million km closer to the Sun than Earth. Objects placed there in a circular orbit will move around the Sun in exactly one year–always directly between our planet and the Sun. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, for example, is a spacecraft that lives at the L1 point. It enjoys a continuous view of the Sun, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Objects closer to Earth than the L1 point are controlled by Earth’s gravity. Objects beyond the L1 point are controlled by the Sun. “When J002E3 came close to the L1 point in April 2002, the object passed throuhgh L1–like a portal–from a Sun-orbit to an Earth-orbit. At some time in the future it might leace Earth-orbit in the same way, back out through the L1 point.” UA Astronomers Discover That Earth’s Second Moon Wears Apollo Paint — University of Arizona press release Apollo links: Apollo12 (NSSDC); Apollo 14
