unid daytime flare

From: Stephan Szyman (szymanss@hotmail.com)
Date: Sun Jul 29 2007 - 16:29:45 EDT

  • Next message: Stephan Szyman: "off topic: AW&ST magazine"

    hi all!
    
    yesterday, at 23:39:30 UTC plus or minus 15 seconds, I observed an object 
    which appeared against daylit sky,  flaring, fading and flaring again as if 
    a tumbling object but seeming very similar in appearance to an iridium 
    flare.  the object moved from right to left, paralell to the western horizon 
    at approximately 280-285 degrees azimuth when i first spotted it and flared 
    quickly twice or thrice before i lost sight of it...  it then flared  less 
    brightliy but was visible again for a short time after that, perhaps for 8 
    or 9 seconds;
    
    this all took place above and slightly to the left of the sun's position in 
    the west,  at an altitiude of between 28 and about 35 degrees.  I checked HA 
    to see if there were any predicted daytime iridium flares. but nothing was 
    listed,  and I've never seen an iridium flare multiple times over a 
    30-second-or-so span as this object did.
    
    checking calsky, I cannot figure out how to get it to show objects crossing 
    during daylight...
    
    this was  possoibly an aircraft,  but i believe I would have been able to 
    make out a shape or at least a small dark spot,  depending on the distance 
    and altitude of the aircraft,  but i saw neither.
    
    i'd love to read instructions about how to ID daytime events like this, 
    either using HA or calsky,  if it's possible,  and wish to know the identity 
    of that object.
    
    clear skies!
    
    stephan szyman
    chicago IL USA
    41.6840N, 87.7000W; 188 msl
    
    _________________________________________________________________
    http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_pcmag_0507
    
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive:  
    http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
    



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Jul 29 2007 - 16:30:52 EDT