Molniya 3-27 and 90002

From: Ed Cannon (ecannon@mail.utexas.edu)
Date: Fri Aug 01 2003 - 04:18:47 EDT

  • Next message: Leo Barhorst: "Corrected obs"

    A couple of nights ago, my first chance to observe in over
    a week, we accidentally saw what Mike later identified as
    Molniya 3-27 (16393, 85-117A) flashing very nicely at a 
    range of about 16,000 km (and increasing).  I kept checking 
    on it and found it was very easy to find with 10x50s for 
    about 30 minutes; after that I was distracted by other 
    things.  The flash period was about 10.85 seconds.  It was 
    just east of the south end of Sagitta at first and was 
    slowly going pretty much horizontally right-to-left.
    
    Mike recovered 90002, an unknown drifting flashing geosynch.  
    Its flash period was about 16.65, with double flashes and a
    fainter secondary at about half-period.  The brightest 
    maxima were about +7.5.  Mike's records indicate that its
    flash period is speeding up.  I think this is the one 
    discovered by Rick Baldridge in October 1998 and was given 
    the number 98003 back then:
    
    http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Oct-1998/0184.html
    http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Oct-1998/0193.html
    
    Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexas.edu - Austin, Texas, USA
    
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