decayer?

From: bradf@inreach.com
Date: Sun Jun 11 2000 - 20:02:21 PDT

  • Next message: nixj@bellsouth.net: "Obs June 12"

    Hi
    everyone,
    
    I observed
    something
    today that
    blew me
    away and
    I'd like
    to get
    some
    comments
    on it.  At
    1628 PDT
    (2328 UTC)
    today,
    June 11, I
    was
    attempting
    to see
    Arcturus
    in
    daylight
    with an
    LX200.  I
    had done a
    sync on
    the Moon
    and a
    Go-To
    Arcturus
    and was
    looking in
    the 7x
    finder
    when I saw
    a fairly
    bright
    object. 
    At first I
    thought it
    was
    Arcturus,
    but
    quickly
    saw that
    it was
    moving
    down in
    the FOV. 
    After a
    few
    seconds I
    could see
    that it
    looked
    like a
    short
    straight
    line, and
    after a
    few more
    seconds I
    could
    clearly
    see flames
    and/or
    smoke
    coming
    from the
    back end
    of it. 
    Total obs
    time was
    about
    20-30
    seconds. 
    I briefly
    thought it
    might be a
    rocket
    launch or
    meteor,
    but it now
    seems most
    likely it
    was the
    reentry 
    of a
    satellite. 
    My
    location
    was N 33
    48  W 118
    03 and
    Arcturus
    was at az
    79 18 el
    19 08 at
    the time. 
    I didn't
    manage to
    see
    Arcturus
    (after
    all, it
    was in
    daylight!),
    but I was
    probably
    pretty
    close to
    it.  If
    anyone
    knows of
    any
    reentry
    that might
    have
    occurred
    at this
    time &
    location,
    or if this
    description
    sounds
    like
    something
    other than
    a reentry,
    please let
    me know. 
    Thank you.
    
    Brad
    Feinner
    Los
    Alamitos
    N 33 48
    02  W 118
    03 34
    
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