Spectacular Mir pass (repost)

From: Edward S Light (light@argoscomp.com)
Date: Sun Mar 11 2001 - 06:32:07 PST

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    I tried sending the following last evening but my #$%&! mail
    program  had "fontified" it to the degree that SeeSat bounced it.
    I hope this attempt works out better. .....
    .........................................................................
    
    Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2001 20:51:44 EST
    Subject: Spectacular last (?) Mir pass
    
    A couple of hours ago, in a beautiful clear (but not-yet dark) sky, we
    saw what was probably our last Mir pass, and what a pass it was!
    
    At 23:26.5 UTC (10 March 2001), when it was rapidly passing some 29 deg
    high in the NNE, it resembled Sirius in brightness (say, about -1.4 mag).
    
    At 23:27.0, it flared to an approximate magnitude of -5 (noticeably brighter
    than Venus' -4.5) and at 23:27.5, when just 21 degs above the ENE, it was
    still at about -3-1/2 (brighter than Jupiter's -2.2 but fainter than Venus).
    
    Spectacular!  What was also striking was how fast it was moving despite
    its low elevation.  Bye bye, Mir!
    
    
    Clear and dark skies!
    
    Ed and Darlene Light
    Lakewood, New Jersey, USA
    40.1075N, 074.2312W, +24m (80 feet)
    
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