Re: Flashes from Iridium 33 wreckage? NOT the main body

From: Ramon van der Hilst (vanderhilst@gmail.com)
Date: Tue Mar 31 2009 - 18:05:18 UTC

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    Thanks for looking it up! The trajectory along the sky definately
    looks like the path I've seen. Is 2002-049A known to be
    rotating/tumbling? It certainly seems plausible for a six and a half
    year old Chinese satellite...
    
    Ramon
    
    2009/3/31 satrack@libero.it <satrack@libero.it>:
    > Hi Ramon,
    >
    > From a rapid check, I think you saw the JB-3 B (2002-049A) Sat, which passed at about half diameter under the moon at 19.43.52 UTC as you reported.
    >
    > Best Regards,
    > Simone
    >
    > ---------- Initial Header -----------
    >
    > From      : "Ramon van der Hilst" vanderhilst@gmail.com
    > To          : Seesat-L@satobs.org
    > Cc          :
    > Date      : Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:05:36 +0200
    > Subject : Flashes from Iridium 33 wreckage? NOT the main body
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >> Hi all,
    >> I'm new on the list, but have been following the hypermail archive for
    >> over a year (and being an amateur astronomer for about 15 years).
    >>
    >> Yesterday I wanted to look for Iridium 33 flashes, having detailed
    >> predictions from private conversation with Simone Corbellini and about
    >> 10 before the time that the main body passed (which I missed,
    >> unfortunately) I saw another satellite passing and flashing in a
    >> slightly different orbit. Below is the description I send to her.
    >> Unfortunately, I was unprepared as I was making sure that I would be
    >> able to see the right part of the sky so didn't have my camera ready..
    >>
    >> <
    >> Hi Simone,
    >>
    >> while checking the right spot to stand I observed a series of flashes
    >> already! The satellite passed from southwest to northwest and flashed
    >> with an interval of about 5 seconds, counted by hand.. it passed very
    >> close (less than a Moons diameter, less than half a degree) below the
    >> Moon at 19:43:50 UTC (-5, +10 seconds), extrapolating its trajectory
    >> along the line from Bellatrix (upper right in Orion) to Aldebaran,
    >> with about 3 1/2 flashes in the part from Bellatrix to Aldebaran. The
    >> flashes had an orange hue and mostly reached +2, maybe +1 for the
    >> brightest. I first saw a flash near Orion's Nebula, and observed a
    >> dozen (ten or so) flashes. I was unable to follow it past the Moon due
    >> to the location of my balcony...
    >> What could it have been?
    >> >
    >>
    >> Because the flash period was in the 5 second range, I expect it has
    >> something to do with Iridium 33?
    >>
    >> Best regards,
    >>
    >> Ramon van der Hilst
    >> N52.309349 E4.980905
    >>
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