Observations 5 Dec 2007:
------------------------------
Cosatrak 1 (Computerised satellite Tracking System).
MINTRON low light level CCD surveillance camera (0.005 lux typical
in non integration mode) and 0.00005 lux in STARLIGHT mode with 128
frame integration.
Used with 6 inch f/2.7 reflector,integrating for 96 frames
which is equivalent to an exposure of 1.92 seconds per image.
Faintest magnitude seen in "real time" was about mag +15
Site 0433 : Longitude 18.51294 deg East, Latitude 33.94058 deg S,
Elevation 10 metres - situated in Pinelands (Cape Town), South Africa
For CLASSFD.TLE:
----------------------
90013 03 564A 0433 G 20071205181728800 56 15 0225151+083507 39 +080 05
90013 03 564A 0433 G 20071205182100700 56 15 0228434+084221 39 +080 05
90025 04 800A 0433 G 20071205182125900 56 15 0228445+090755 39 +080 05
90025 04 800A 0433 G 20071205182130500 56 15 0229536+085014 39 +080 05
90025 04 800A 0433 G 20071205182134800 56 15 0230577+083253 39 +080 05
90078 07 835A 0433 G 20071205184851800 56 15 0431025+045822 39 +140 05
90078 07 835A 0433 G 20071205185027500 56 15 0432424+045911 39 +113 05
90078 07 835A 0433 G 20071205185055600 56 15 0433120+045939 39 +115 05
90078 07 835A 0433 G 20071205185326200 56 15 0435485+050005 39 +122 05
90078 07 835A 0433 G 20071205185401000 56 15 0436244+050019 39 +115 05
90078 07 835A 0433 G 20071205185741200 56 15 0440149+050123 39 +113 05
90078 07 835A 0433 G 20071205185945200 56 15 0442233+050204 39 +115 05
90078 07 835A 0433 G 20071205190455800 56 15 0447472+050334 39 +108 05
90078 07 835A 0433 G 20071205190848700 56 15 0451502+050448 39 +108 05
27169 02 001B 0433 G 20071205192546000 56 15 0048180+070146 39 +100 05
27169 02 001B 0433 G 20071205192805200 56 15 0050393+070233 39 +100 05
Strays seen:
--------------
Thuraya 2 geostationary
27825 03 026A 0433 G 20071205182308800 56 15 0229284+084838 39 +110 05
Atlas Centaur 2
00694 63 047A 0433 G 20071205182737200 56 15 0405002+051415 39 +010 05
Intelsat 704 geostationary
23461 95 001A 0433 G 20071205184701300 56 15 0430402+051216 39 +110 05
Delta 1 debri
21435 75 052DT 0433 G 20071205185806000 56 15 0439478+050338 39 +080 05
Scout X-4 Rocket body
01358 65 032B 0433 G 20071205185927800 56 15 0443065+051257 39 +080 05
Meteor 2-11
15099 84 072A 0433 G 20071205190249900 56 15 0444588+050628 39 +050 05
Intelsat 704 geostationary
23461 95 001A 0433 G 20071205190557500 56 15 0449373+051239 39 +105 05
Cosmos 1257
12327 81 022H 0433 G 20071205193954400 56 15 2138416-053900 39 +075 05
Breeze M Rocket body, range 27000 kms, steady
31864 07 032C 0433 G 20071205202931700 56 15 0635490+105204 39 +107 05
31864 07 032C 0433 G 20071205205233300 56 15 0659595+071956 39 +107 05
Notes:
-------
(1) Purpose of observing session was to observe 90078.
On saturday afternoon ( my time) 1st Dec I was doing routine radio
monitoring
and trying to determine where the recently SKYNET satellite was
positioned .
During this search I checked 2227.50 Mhz and found a relatively strong
signal
doing some rather peculiar variations. I monitored this for about four
hours and
using a directional 18 turn helical antenna, was able to determine its
approximate
azimuth and elevation and establish that it was slowly drifting
eastwards.
Peter Wakelin was able to find the object on CCD exposures on two nights
and
this enabled the orbit to be determined. The satellite is slowly drifting
eastwards
at the rate of 13 degrees per day and will take about 27 days to do one
rev along
the Clarke belt.
Despite further monitoring of 2227.5 Mhz the strange behaving signal has
not
recurred but has instead been replaced by a carrier with some small
amplitude
frequency variations. This, combined with the optical behaviour, leads me
to
think that the satellite is not operational ? The behaviour on Dec 1
may have
been a random event or was it commanded ?
It would be worthwhile keeping a watch on this one. I will loose it
shortly as it
dips below my eastern horizon but it will soon be in range of the
USA/Canada
and, unless it performs a manoevre, the orbit is now well determined so
should
be easy to find again. The transmission on 2227.50 Mhz appears to be
continuous.
This object ranges in variability from approximately mag 11 to fainter
than
mag 15. I was unable to determine a well defined period other than it took
between 213 and 240 seconds between bright brief flashes. The satellite
would
brighten from invisible to mag 11 and sometimes do a short flash and then
rapidly fade again. It also appeared to have periods when it stayed bright
for
perhaps as much as 30-40 seconds. Sometimes bright periods occurred with a
period less than two minutes.
(2)Object reported as #90025 sighted as an UNKNOWN. Later found that
90025 was predicted to pass this position at around this time,so based
on this and the track angle observed Im pretty certain it was #90025.
Cheers
Greg
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