according to the johns hopkins university applied physics laboratory MESSENGER website, the spacecraft will make a gravity-assist flyby of the earth, "closest approach of 1,458 miles (2,347 kilometers) over central Asia at 3:13 p.m. EDT on Aug. 2." http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/news_room/status_report_07_21_05.html I realize it will be broad daylight here at that time but I hope someone who reads this will be able to observe this pass. reading the august-99 seesat-L archive, I see that there were a lucky few who observed cassini in a similar flyby. MESSENGER will approach much closer to the surface; however it's also a much smaller object than cassini. clear skies! stephan szyman chicago IL USA 41.6840N, 87.7000W; 188m asl ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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