Re: Iridium MMA1 flare at 3000 km range
Chris Dorreman (bram.dorreman@skynet.be)
Wed, 05 Nov 97 22:55:55 -0000 (UT-)
Bram and Chris Dorreman also observed their 1st MMA forward glares:
I13 24840 97-11-05 17:06:05 S 286 12 -3 BCD 97-30E
I14 24836 97-11-05 17:15:09 S 288 10 0 BCD 97-30A
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### ####### Chris Dorreman =
## #### ###### Astrokunst
## ##### ###### VVS/JVS Noorderkroon Achel - JVS Orion Mechelen =
## #### ###### 51g15'49"NB - 05g28'38"OL
### ####### e-mail: bram.dorreman@skynet.be
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> Tonight I have sucsessfully sited three MMA 1 flares from three
> Iridiums. Has anyone else seen any?
>
> Here are the stats(not quite in correct format)
>
> ir NORAD --date-- --time-- D Faz Fe Saz --Se- range angl mag
> 13 24840 11-05-97 22:44:xx S 276 06 2xx -08.6 2650k 0.09 >1 97030E FW
> 14 24836 11-05-97 22:53:xx S 278 04 2xx -10.3 2835k 0.30 >1 97030A FW
> 16 24841 11-05-97 23:02:xx S 279 02 2xx -12.0 3025k 0.59 2 97030F FW
>
> The above data was from Rob Matson Iridflar program. Randy John's
> Skysat gave a phase angle of 156. I am being conservative on the
> magnitudes, though they did not come up to the predicted mag. There was
> one star to the right ten or so degrees and just
> under ten degree elv. This star was visible all the time, but as I do =
not
> know, nor have checked the mag of this star I cannot give better values=
.
> The first two flares were as bright or maybe slightly brighter than tha=
t
> star. The last flare was dimmer by an estimated one mag. The sky was =
still
> quite bright in that section of the sky. I was having a hard time to =
read
> my paper without a flash light, after sighting ir14.
>
> Also saw an UNID travleing form NW to SE over the north star and
> just above Cassapia(sp), steadily flucuatuing from mag 3 to near mag =
0. In
> the east it gave bluish flare almost as bright as Jupiter. Jupiter was =
a
> yellow light compared to this flare.
>
> Floyd Weaver
> 3 miles north of Lebanon Pa.
> 40.389N 76.417W
> http://users.nbn.net/~fweaver
>
>