I checked the predictions for MAST and all seems to be OK. The visible passes really do all start with a shadow exit from your latitude. The orbit is near Sun synchronous, so you would expect this. This does not mean that the shadow exit is always at culmination. The "max. altitude" column in HA's predictions corresponds to the maximum altitude of the visible part of the pass, and not necessarily the culmination, which can occur when the satellite is still in shadow. Chris Peat -----Original Message----- This can't be correct... >MAST's orbit is well placed for evening observation at latitudes >north of about >40 N. Heavens-Above has elements. ...if you look at H-A's chart at... http://www.heavens-above.com/passsummary.asp?lat=37.802&lng=-80.446&alt=639& loc=Lewisburg&TZ=EST&satid=31126 (for my winter viewing location in Lewisburg WV) The "Starts" column is identical to the "Max Altitude" column, suggesting that the object comes out of eclipse at culmination for each and every apparition, regardless of the time of day or position of the sun. That just can't be, can it? What gives Chris? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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