From: Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexas.edu - Austin, Texas, USA >I received the following account of a solar transit. Might it have been a satellite? From: "Bjorn Gimle" <b.gimle@chello.se> > Small balloon ? ++++++++++++++++++ I once was using my Celestron 5 inch to track a hydrogen filled balloon that I had released with a note attached. After maybe 15 minutes it was quite small in my field of view when, as I guided along, a white disc (actually a ball seen in 2D), about three times larger than the balloon "drifted" into view. I thought the object was moving when actually I was moving the scope. [I suspect we've all experienced that phenomenon before.] It scared me at first. Visions of a UFO. :~) As it turned out, my balloon nearly transited Jupiter, and in the daytime as well! What are the odds of that? I have seen mylar and rubber balloons drifting off from shopping centers and other places where that is likely to happen. Then again, at some weddings (and other events) rubber balloons are released enmasse. So, as Bjorn said, maybe it was a balloon. Tom Iowa USA ..... P.S. I want to add a plug for something that all of us would benefit from if given the chance. That is, some IMAX theaters are playing a film called "Space Station" some of which are shown in 3D, depending upon the style of screen that receives the image. The 3D screen needs to be relatively flat and lenticular (silver). I have recently seen it in both 2D on an overarching screen and in 3D (yesterday) on a flat screen. It is extremely informative and the third dimension adds enormously to the experience. I don't know if it was the misalignment of the two movies or my wildly looking around trying to see every little detail that made be a bit dizzy. Of well, it's all part of the ride! I recommend going to http://www.imax.com/ and click on "Find A Theater" to start looking to see if there is a theater within driving distance of you that is it showing the "Space Station" 3D film. It would be awesome if they put it out in anaglyph form (requiring red/green glasses) so that we can watch it at home! I cannot imagine how many stereo pairs could be made from the innumerable stereo pairs of images in the two strips of film needed for that program. ----------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from SeeSat-L, send a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@satobs.org List archived at http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Mar 17 2003 - 13:44:20 EST