re: Tumblers, bright Fs, double NOAA Fs
Walter Nissen (dk058@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Sat, 18 Apr 1998 09:01:03 -0400 (EDT)
> Besides NOSS 2-3 r and Iridium 27, what other satellites tumble at a
> good rate, thus giving a good visual display?
> Jari
I have little idea what you mean by "at a good rate" and "a good visual
display". Perhaps if you observed the various NOSS 2-n payloads you would
also find they present such, though they aren't much like the objects you
mention.
Cheers.
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Anyone can say anything. That doesn't make it true.
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Excerpted and annotated from earlier posts:
12908 78-016C FLTSATCOM 1 Atlas Centaur R/B
Maximum magnitude 2-3 with an approximate period of 18 seconds
10820 78-042A AMS 3 (OPS 6182) (DMSP F3)
Maximum about 3rd magnitude, period roughly 12 seconds
16908 86-061A EGP
About 3 very brief, bright (4th mag?) peaks in a couple of seconds period
[ I think you mean "interval" ]
Spot 1 r BJ #17206, 86019BJ (About a 3 sec period, 3.5-4.0 mag)
18710 87-106B Cosmos 1904 SL-8 R/B
Maximum of 5th magnitude with an 8-1/2 second periods
NOSS 2-3 r 23907 = 96- 29 B
Cospar Date time UT ob total acc #of flash remarks
ID YY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.s se time fls period
94- 56 A 98-04-14 12:06 AB 193.7 .04 10 19.374 +-.004, flsh peak mag +2
Iridium 27
Titan IV r/b #25018, 97064B (About a 13 sec period but bright)
COMETS H2 rocket (#25176) 98- 11 B
Look into recent PPAS reports for other possibilities.
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Recent OBS, some of less than the usual quality:
Also please note new area code given below, now mandatory:
PPAS (beginning):
Walter I. Nissen, Jr., CDP, dk058@cleveland.freenet.edu, 55 Barrett RD #808,
Berea, OH 44017-1657, USA, 440-243-4980, -81d 51.823', 41d 22.413', 256m, 7x35
87- 62 A 98-04-13 1:04:29.5 WN 276.8 20. 5 55. M, mag 3 or 2, C* 1869
92- 94 A 98-03-23 0:46:53.5 WN . .5 10 . irreg, some bright Fs
94- 47 B 98-03-25 0:37:10.5 WN 71.0 .7 12 5.9 A or M, mag 5?, DBS 2 r
96- 51 B 98-03-17 0:34:04 WN 33.5 2. 4 8. M, mag 3?, C* 2333 r
97- 17 B 98-04-18 1:32:02.1 WN 48.5 1. 6 8.1 A, mag 5?, C* 2341 r
97- 51 D 98-04-13 1:48:16.3 WN 51.3 1. 14 3.66 A or M, mag 3?, Irdm 27
97- 51 D 98-04-18 1:35:19.7 WN 147.4 .4 40 3.686 F, mag -1?, Irdm 27
97- 64 B 98-02-06 11:53:16.5 WN 40.0 3. 3 13.3 mag 2?, Lac 3 r = 25018
97- 64 B 98-02-16 0:51: . WN 14.4 4. 1 14. Lacrosse 3 r = 25018
87- 62 A = 18214 = C* 1869
92- 94 A = 22286 = C* 2228 10 flashes in about a minute
94- 47 B = 23193 = DBS 2 r - Atlas Centaur
96- 51 B = 24298 = C* 2333 r
97- 17 B = 24773 = C* 2341 r
97- 51 D = 24947 = Irdm 27
On the 18th, my ongoing refinement of airplane-satellite discrimination
suffered a serious blow as I picked up Irdm 27 giving off mag -1? F
flashes as it descended in the South from a high Western pass of altitude
74 degrees. Looked just like an airplane, except maybe for the frequency
of flashes. In binocs I roughly estimated mag -2?, but then naked eye,
mag -1? seemed more realistic, with Sirius usable as a comparison. More
evidence of the ordinary tendency to overestimate how bright extremely
bright flashes are.
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Additional suggestions, also highly recommended, not recently observed:
94- 27 A = 23099 = SROSS C2
88- 20 A = 18958 = C* 1933
88- 50 A = 19210 = C* 1953
88- 93 A = 19573 = C* 1975
92- 80 A = 22236 = C* 2221
various NOAA's
Reprise:
After seeing the remarkable, extremely bright, rapid, double flashes that
I reported for 960529, I have been trying to keep watch on NOAA 7 thru the
occasional breaks in the clouds here. For some weeks I was unable to see
those double Fs again. Mostly I have seen a very irregular pattern which
displays repeated bright Fs and many secondary maxima which vary in
brightness and also perhaps in time. But 960624 I caught the object early
in its rise and dedicated myself to timing only the bright Fs.
Consequently I was able to follow the object for a considerably long
period and time all (but one of) the bright Fs over the entire period. I
also observed the rapid double Fs for a short while. Again, they were so
rapid I was unable to time the second of each pair in the double Fs. In
some ways this object is now quite reminiscent of the behavior of the
spectacular, irregular flashers C* 1933 = 88- 20 A = 18958, C* 1953 =
88- 50 A = 19210, SROSS-C2 = 94- 27 A = 23099, and DMSP F3 = 78- 42 A =
10820 when they were at their most irregular. Upon analysis of the
recorded timings, the Fs are seen to come very regularly.