Re: Unknown Satellite: 26/3 1005UTC, Melbourne, Aust

Mir16609@aol.com
Sat, 27 Mar 1999 12:08:51 EST

In a message dated 3/27/99 8:03:45 AM Eastern Standard Time,
e.duffield@bigpond.com writes:

> Observed a bright satellite (mag. 2-3) approx 45 degrees above the NE
>  horizon, heading north at this time in Melbourne, Australia (-37.441 lat.,
>  +144.9616 long.).  Thought it was SeaSat1 (hence, an incorrect GSOC
>  prediction) which was due to be about that brightness and in that position
>  at about 1009UTC.  But GSOC, as usual, was right and SeaSat1 was 'on time'.
>  
>  Can anybody figure out what this 'unknown' object could have been?

The best match that I found was NOAA 15 which has been known to occasionally
reach +1.0 mag.
Ref:    
http://www2.satellite.eu.org/seesat/Mar-1999/0335.html    
(Note all reported times should be 00:xx:xx UTC)

NOAA 15          6.0  2.0  0.0  5.0 d            824 x 807
1 25338U 98030A   99085.86320457  .00000169  00000-0  94733-4 0  3010
2 25338  98.6870 116.9462 0011456 130.8650 229.3521 14.22881069 45105

Cheers
Don Gardner  39.1796 N, 76.8419 W, 34m ASL
Homepage: http://hometown.aol.com/mir16609/
Space Day - 6 May 1999; http://www.spaceday.com/