Despite a brightening sky, I just saw a VERY FAST pass of 26362=00-025C, variously described as "GPS 47 PAM" or "GPS 2R-4 Delta 2 r2" high in my southern sky. At about 08:54:03 +/- 2sec UTC on 2004 July 11, it zipped between epsilon and theta Peg, at an apparent magnitude of about 3.0 (it was fainter than epsilon's 2.38 and brighter than theta's 3.52). At that time, its [astronomical] phase angle was 49 degrees and it was some 279 km from me. Current TLEs: NAVSTAR 47 R/B 1 26362U 00025C 04193.21308716 .00057663 00000-0 72518-3 0 5181 2 26362 38.8216 260.9206 4231561 97.2023 311.4007 7.13035675 83733 which yields a 207 x 9857 km 201.95 minute orbit whose perigee is currently about 38 degrees North. These are really fun to watch - a visual reminder of how fast orbital speeds are! Clear and dark skies! Ed Light Lakewood, NJ, USA N 40.1075, W 074.2312, +24 m (80 ft) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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