RE: an unusual sighting
McConahy, Ralph (RMcConahy@jbar.gdscc.nasa.gov)
Fri, 13 Aug 1999 09:20:15 -0700
Sherry,
What you saw was the NOSS 2-1 triplet:
NOSS 2-1 (E) 3.0 2.0 0.0 5.9 v 4.0
1 20642U 90050E 99185.14630959 .00000030 00000-0 47756-4 0 06
2 20642 63.4240 78.3359 0215999 352.7527 7.2473 13.40316656 04
NOSS 2-1 (C) 3.0 2.0 0.0 5.9 v 4.0
1 20691U 90050C 99176.93929783 .00000040 00000-0 63595-4 0 03
2 20691 63.4240 99.9163 0217000 1.9424 358.0576 13.40315520 04
NOSS 2-1 (D) 3.0 2.0 0.0 5.9 v 4.0
1 20692U 90050D 99185.14643788 .00000030 00000-0 47390-4 0 09
2 20692 63.4240 79.0054 0222000 1.5419 358.4580 13.40316370 02
You can read about these at
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/surveill/sbwass_n.htm
Ralph McConahy
34.8829N 117.0064W 670m
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SDU2828@aol.com [SMTP:SDU2828@aol.com]
> Sent: Friday, August 13, 1999 8:32 AM
> To: SeeSat-L@blackadder.lmsal.com
> Subject: an unusual sighting
>
> There was a break in the clouds here at 3a.m. to look for the meteors. We
> saw
> 43 in just 25 mins before the clouds started to fill back in. At around
> 3:45a.m. CDT we saw 3 satellites coming out of the western sky at about 70
>
> degrees high.They were traveling to the north. The unusaul thing is that
> they
> were traveling in a triangular formation. When I first spotted them, it
> appeared as if a constellation was moving!
> I would estimate the brightness at about a +5 magnitute. There were 3
> people
> in my group who all saw the same thing, so it wasn't my imagination. They
> certainly looked like satellites and not planes.(no colored lights or
> noise)
> But could this have actually been satellites? I would appreciate any of
> your
> thoughts on what we saw.
> Thanks, Sherry Underhill
> 41.85 degrees N 87.65 degrees W