Re: Unexpected "flare" from 25724

From: Paul Gabriel (gabriel305@earthlink.net)
Date: Sun Nov 18 2001 - 06:49:16 EST

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    I usually see milstar 3 in the +6 to +7 range, but
    one evening it came up out of the SW like an Iridium
    flare, I could make out what seemed like flares off
    3 solar panels in the binos.  very intense for about
    45 sec.  
    
    *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
    
    On 11/17/01 at 18:57 Edward S Light wrote:
    
    >We were about to observe 25724 = 99-023a = "Milstar 3, USA 143" when to
    >our surprise it seemed to be undergoing a slow bright flare. At 23:17.8
    >UTC
    >as it passed beta Aqr it was as bright as that star (visual magnitude
    >+2.9)
    >and by 23:18.4 UTC it reached a maximum brightness like Altair's
    >(V=+0.8).
    >Because of its considerable range (2900 km), it and its flare were nice
    >and slow.
    >The only other time we saw this object (1999 October 12) it was about 7th
    >magnitude.
    >
    >Clear and dark skies!
    >
    >Ed and Darlene Light
    >
    >Lakewood, NJ, USA
    >N 40.1075, W 074.2312 Hgt +24 m (80 ft)
    >
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    ***********************************************
    Paul Gabriel
    26.2431N 098.2163W 35m (GMT-6)
    gabriel305@earthlink.net
    God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse 
    of the sky to separate day from night; 
    they shall serve as signs for the set times -- 
    the days and the years; and they shall serve 
    as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine 
    upon the earth." And it was so... 
    And God saw that this was good.
    ***********************************************
    



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