> Perhaps not quite as spectacular, another large satellite with a > reputation for extremely bright glints is: > > UARS 9.8 4.6 0.0 4.2 v 46 > 1 21701U 91063B 00062.22664429 +.00001611 +00000-0 +15591-3 0 > 01112 > 2 21701 056.9826 080.2609 0005840 104.8128 255.3568 > 14.97977609463113 > > Thanks to Mike McCants, NASA Goddard's OIG and US SPACECOM for this > elset. > Last evening, 2000-03-07 005823.37, about 10 degrees below right of > Aldebaran, it shot enough photons into my eye to reach magnitude -2, > and > did so while I had a plain view of Jupiter, Rigel, etc., making me > very > confident -2 is the right estimate, not -1 and not -3. I saw this satellite on the very same pass, last night, too! I don't know if it made a glint, but it was very bright in my 7x35's, during the whole pass. It was predicted at +3.5, but I think it was at +1. > Mir, which lately has developed a reputation for bright glints, as > the > solar panels are no longer so consistently collimated toward the > Sun(?), > is currently making spectacular passes at mid-Northern latitudes. > > These glints are not easily (or at all) predictable, so the key is > to do > a lot of observing. Wonders may come your way. I was just curious, but what causes an Iridium flare to occur on one pass, and not another? Is it the satellite's orientation in space, or the sun-satellite-earth angle, or something else? ---------------------- Jonathan T. Wojack tlj18@juno.com "If you come from a little bit of slime out of a pool, then what's so great about life?" --- Arizona Representative Karen Johnson, on the implications of biological evolution ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@lists.satellite.eu.org http://www2.satellite.eu.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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