Optical 12 March 2007

From: Greg Roberts (grr@telkomsa.net)
Date: Tue Mar 13 2007 - 09:04:00 EDT

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    Observations 12 Mar 2007:
    ---------------------------------------
    
    Cosatrak 1 (Computerised satellite Tracking System).
    MINTRON low light level CCD surveillance camera (0.005 lux typical
    in non integration mode) and 0.00005 lux in STARLIGHT mode with 128
    frame integration.
    
    Used with 150mm aperture f/5 reflector,integrating for 96 frames
    which is equivalent to an exposure of 1.92 seconds per image.
    
    Site 0433 : Longitude 18.51294 deg East, Latitude  33.94058 deg S,
    Elevation 10 metres - situated in Pinelands (Cape Town), South Africa
    
    
    For CLASSFD.TLE:
    ----------------------
    
    90067 06 585A   0433 F 20070312175252200 56 15 0808050+183833 39  +120 05
    90067 06 585A   0433 F 20070312175821300 56 15 0813280+182513 39  +120 05
    90013 03 564A   0433 F 20070312202459900 56 15 1055060+092504 39  +075 05
    27168 02 001A   0433 F 20070312202915600 56 15 0955400+063145 39  +090 05
    
    
    "Old Unknown "
    ---------------------
    
    91097 07 058GEO 0433 F 20070312183207900 56 15 1111540+040904 39  +105 05
    91097 07 058GEO 0433 F 20070312183954200 56 15 1119290+034154 39  +105 05
    
    Strays seen:
    -----------------
    07615 75 004A   0433 F 20070312190830700 56 15 0547430+160617 39  +080 05
    15202 84 088D   0433 F 20070312191830400 56 15 0533100+050417 39  +075 05
    
    
    New Unknowns seen:
    -----------------------
    91099 07 071GEO 0433 F 20070312180750900 56 15 0722020+163038 39  +110 05
    91099 07 071GEO 0433 F 20070312181455800 56 15 0729070+163635 39  +120 05
    91100 07 071GEO 0433 F 20070312190232400 56 15 0542180+162942 39  +095 05
    91100 07 071GEO 0433 F 20070312190758700 56 15 0547490+162100 39  +120 05
    91100 07 071GEO 0433 F 20070312191114300 56 15 0551060+161523 39  +120 05
    91100 07 071GEO 0433 F 20070312191505500 56 15 0554590+160853 39  +095 05
    
    
    Notes:
    ---------
    
    (1) #91097 steady and easy.
    
    (2) #91099 variable, looks like it may be flashing
    
    (3) #91100 variable - nice object. Every 40-41 seconds does a flash to
        perhaps as bright as magnitude +8.5. Halfway through the 41 sec
        cycle slowly brightens to about mag +12 for a while then down to
        about mag +14 followed by a bright flash. Moving relatively fast
        so a fast drifter. Probably a rocket casing.
    
    (4) Did not see #90016 although reasonably certain I was looking at
        correct place but by this time cirrus had gotten quite thick but I
        should have seen it - wonder if it has moved again ?
    
    (5) Still a lot of work to do before Im 100% happy with using the 6inch
        reflector - a "finder" camera was added with a 2 degree field of
        view and this makes it vey easy to determine where the 6 inch is
        actually pointing, but I have still to develop a routine for better
        efficiency in scanning for unknowns- I now have 5 monitors to watch!
        ( actually 4 since I dont need to watch the GPS time display computer
        once the two clocks are set on GPS time).
    
    Cheers
    Greg 
    
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