FW: Spectacular ISS Pass

From: Aris Tanone (atanone@hiwaay.net)
Date: Thu Dec 28 2000 - 19:28:52 PST

  • Next message: Matson, Robert: "SoCal ISS pass Thursday (12/28) evening"

    Hi,
    
    
    I just watched ISS made a short pass (+/- 1 minutes) over Huntsville
    few moments ago, with a mag of -0.5 per Heavens-Above, around the
    time as listed below:
    
    Event 			Time 	Altitude  Azimuth  Distance (km)
    
    Rises above horizon  	18:19:06 0° 	312° (NW ) 2,229
    Reaches 10° altitude 	18:21:09 10° 	312° (NW ) 1,379
    Maximum altitude 		18:23:52 66° 	306° (NW ) 408
    Enters shadow 		18:23:52 66° 	306° (NW ) 408
    
    This is the brightest ISS that I have seen so far. I will appreciate if
    anyone can point me to any online reference on how to take pictures
    of a passing satellite.
    
    Thanks.
    
    Aris Tanone
    34.7300°N, 86.5860°W
    http://home.hiwaay.net/~atanone/Sat-track1
    
    ps: Sorry Rob, the first e-mail was intended to Seesat-L,
        but I didn't check the address when I pushed the "send" button.
    
    
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: Matson, Robert [mailto:ROBERT.D.MATSON@saic.com]
    > Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2000 3:47 PM
    > To: 'Edward S Light'; 'Seesat-L'
    > Subject: RE: Spectacular ISS Pass
    >
    >
    > Hi Ed,
    >
    > > We just saw what was likely the best ISS (98-067A = 25544) pass since it
    > > "got its wings."
    >
    > > Rising in the WNW through Draco, at which time it resembled
    > Vega (mag =0),
    > > it brightened steadily as it climbed when, at 61 deg elevation, 351 deg
    > azimuth,
    > > at about 17:49:20 EST (22:49:20 UTC on 28 December 2000), +/- 5 seconds,
    > > it flared to slightly brighter than Venus' -4.3 magnitude.
    >
    > Thanks for your observation, Ed!  It tends to support my
    > theory of when to expect glints off the (smaller) solar
    > panels of ISS -- descending node passes in the evening
    > (for northern hemisphere viewers).
    >
    > Using your detailed observation, I will be able to determine
    > the tilt-forward angle of ISS's smaller solar arrays, which
    > should allow crude estimates of when to expect ISS glints.
    > Thanks!  --Rob
    >
    
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