Re: Gorizont 24

Jason Hatton (hatton@naxos.unice.fr)
Fri, 30 Apr 1999 10:05:45 +0200 (MET DST)

>Hi Jason,
>
>> Rerunning the passes of the TDRS7-Rk & Gorizont 24 through Skymap appears
>> to confirm this identification. (my initial postion measurement was in
>> error in declination, I forgot about the field inversion in the
>> telescope....).
>
>I would have IDed your sat as Gorizont 24 except that, as you indicated,
>the declination was a bad match.
>
>> There are no reported flash measurements for Gorizont 24 in the PPAS
>> database, so this might be a new geoflasher.
>
>My report may not have made it into the database yet.  I discovered it
>on March 25 while timing nearby Gorizont 23 flashes.  Flash period
>then was 89.846 +/- .011 seconds.  Here is an excerpt from my
>Seesat post on 3/25:

I remember seeing this post now, but hadn't added the object to my
observing lists. At least this confirms that Gorizont 24 is also easily
observable from Europe also.

Yesterday evening I ran a search using Mike McCants "Findsat" programme,
then plotted the tracks of satellites which were in the vicinity through
Skymap.   Now I have a full explaination of what I saw. The first two
flashes did in-fact appear south of the TDRS-7Rk track, so this fits with
Gorizont 24's position. However at the same time a debris object
670001AE/13910 (not a know flasher) was passing along a WNW->ESE track just
to the north of the TDRS7-Rk, so the third flash probably came from this
object which led me to beileve that the UNID was moving in a northerly
direction (it wasn't case of me mixing up the field orientation after all).
As a result I kept this spot fixed in the field of view & missed any
further flashes from Gorizont 24 as it was outside of the field of view of
my telescope.

I still haven't been able to make any follow up observations to to adverse
observing conditions. However, both Gorizont 23 & Gorizont 24 are now well
placed for European observers. For those observers who have never seen a
geosynchronous satellites both of these objects are potentially visible in
binoculars, flashing up to mag +5 at least. Gorizont 23 flash period is
about 50s, whilst as Rob Matson indicates Gorizont 24 is flashing every 90s.

Here are recent elements for both of these objects;
GORIZONT 23
1 21533U 91046A   99116.36469887  .00000017  00000-0  10000-3 0  1445
2 21533   4.5603  65.0425 0004945 103.1699 256.8504  0.98905113 22670
GORIZONT 24
1 21759U 91074A   99113.45341774 -.00000018  00000-0  10000-3 0  8110
2 21759   4.2503  65.4330 0014683   2.6538 357.3166  0.98441951 27413

Best wishes & clear skies,


Jason

P.S. <Off topic> I'm thinking of adding encoders & "digital setting
circles" to my dobsonian telescope (eg. like the Meade Magellan 1 system).
If anybody has any experience with this kind of setup could you give me
some suggestions (e-mail me directly, not to the list the list) on how best
to impliment this.


---------------------------------
Jason Hatton
INSERM U 343
Hopital de l'Archet
Rte St. Antoine de Ginestiere
BP 79, 06202 Nice Cedex 03
France

Tel(33)-4-92-15-77-00
Fax(33)-4-92-15-77-09

email : hatton@unice.fr

 43.667N, 7.223E, Alt 30M