Re: Satellite ID help requested...

From: Ed Cannon (ecannon@mail.utexas.edu)
Date: Tue Nov 26 2002 - 21:22:28 EST

  • Next message: Matson, Robert: "RE: Satellite ID help requested..."

    For anyone who might want to try to ID one.  It's from 
    the newsgroup.  The thread is "Satellite ID help 
    requested...".  There is an astrophoto with a track 
    here:
    
    http://home.att.net/~astropix/Dan_s_Satellite.html
    
    The particulars are:
    
    > The bright star in the center, showing some 'blooming' 
    > artifacts is 52 Cyg... the trail is just to the left 
    > and inclined about 15 degrees to the framing of the 
    > shot.  The image was taken in Chiefland FL, on 11/7/02 
    > at 4:42:03 UT. Lat/Lon for Chiefland is: 29.4750° N, 
    > 82.8600° W...  Celestial coordinates for 52 Cyg are: 
    > (epoch 2K) 20 45 39.75/+30 43 11.0... 
    
    Further discussion established that the given time is 
    probably the beginning of the 15-minute exposure.  Also, 
    
    > we sent the image to the IAU (the clearing house for
    > comets/meteors) :::first::: They couldn't tell us what 
    > it was... but they could tell us what it wasn't - a 
    > rock. A close asteroid tumbling at the rate evidenced 
    > by the image would be in a very unstable orbit... and 
    > have *everyones* attention. The object is either a 
    > satellite or orbital debris... 
    
    Cloudy here. 
    
    Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexas.edu - Austin, Texas, USA
    
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