Phobos Grunt obs, 2 Jan 2012, 1319Z, Falcon, CO US

From: ronlee@pcisys.net
Date: Mon Jan 02 2012 - 17:34:25 UTC

  • Next message: Ted Molczan: "Fobos-Grunt: decay estimate"

    This was a pre-sunrise pass, NNW to ESE, max elevation 31 degrees.
    
    I picked it up visually (naked eye) while ten degrees or so west in azimuth of Polaris (~350 degrees azimuth).  As it passed under Polaris it appeared to be a similar magnitude.  About twenty seconds later I noticed that it was dimmer.
    
    It continued to dim until it approached ENE.  By that time I had given up on it showing a periodic fluctuation in brightness and I waiting to see it go underneath a star that was almost due east.  I glanced away temporarily and when I looked again it had brightened significantly. This was around 13:21:30 UT (Not exact time).  
    
    When I went inside and checked on the pass I realized that I had forgotten about flaring.  It is possible that this was a long flare but there is no guarantee that it was.
    
    Tomorrow there is a similar pass about 20 minutes earlier so I will be looking for a possible flare in the same area.
    
    Ron Lee
    
    
    
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