Cassini?

Tony Beresford (starman@camtech.net.au)
Thu, 16 Oct 1997 13:40:41 +0900

Observers in Australia including myself and Gordon Garrad(Loomberah),
saw a slow-moving fading blob ( 10-30 arc minute in size)
on the capricornus-auarius boundary , starting at 1010UT,
Octeber 15. At this time it was naked eye visible despite
the nearly Full Moon. By the time I saw it in binoculars
at 1025UT it was at 20h 24m RA, dec -11.6. It had faded
beyond binoculars by 1045UT, but Gordon Garradd followed it
till 1105UT in a telescope.The fact that both Gordon and I
saw it in much the same direction indicates a large distance
of courseb as we are nearly 1000KM apart.

Talking to staff at DSN Canberra they say this doesnt fit
Cassini, which only reached a maximum elevation of 49 degrees
before dropping back to the horizon fairly quickly.
Does somebody have a timeline for the events during
launch and injection up to spacecraft separation and beyond,
to confirm this. The event looks like perhaps the post separation
firing of the Centaur to make sure its in a separate orbit
to Cassini.
Tony Beresford
(34.97S, 138.65E)