brighter, earlier, triple glint

From: Walter Nissen (wnissen@freenet.tlh.fl.us)
Date: Mon Oct 02 2000 - 17:15:32 PDT

  • Next message: Paul Gabriel: "dawn obs (yawn)"

    This morning, Iridium P05 74 reflected an unexpectedly bright glint well
    BEFORE her predicted glint.  She glinted to mag -3?, about 29 seconds
    before glinting, as predicted, to mag 2?.  Then, completing a triple
    glint, she brightened again to mag 3?, after a further interval of about
    18 seconds.
    
    This pattern persisted with the next 2 objects, though greatly reduced.
    Ir P06, predicted at mag 4, rose to about a half magnitude brighter,
    and, more peculiarly, persisted at or near that bright magnitude for a
    very long time.  She was above mag 5? for almost 100 seconds, the large
    majority of that above mag 4?.  Ir P07R was not predicted by IRIDFLAR,
    but nevertheless rose above mag 5?.
    
    As I have previously suggested (e.g., in
    http://www2.satellite.eu.org/seesat/Mar-1998/0081.html, where you
    will find suggestions of worthy objects), the common practice of looking
    for satellites at culmination can deprive the observer of a great deal
    of "action".  This applies with additional force to the Iridia and
    predictions of their bright glints.
    
    It is interesting to observe a parade of objects all glinting in the
    same area of the sky, at intervals of about 9 minutes 7 seconds.
    
    Cheers.
    
    Walter Nissen                   wnissen@tfn.net
    -81.8637, 41.3735, 256m elevation
    
    ---
    
    The media routinely report the many events and situations which support
    the titular conclusion of "More Guns, Less Crime, understanding crime
    and gun-control laws" (University of Chicago Press, 2000) of John R.
    Lott, Jr., of Yale University; e.g., crime sprees which end, not upon
    the removal of weapons, but on the arrival of more weapons; minimal
    rates of mugging in police stations; the plight of Rep. McCarthy's
    husband and son trapped in a LI RR car where (by law) the only weapon
    was possessed by the criminal; the continuous protection provided to the
    President by fully-automatic (assault) weapons deployed within arms
    length.  Yet the same media editorialize against weapons, fantasizing
    about a very different world.  Whatzuphere?
    
    ---
    
    Ir P05 glinted at 093708.20
                      093737.24
                      093755.29
    
    Ir P06 was above mag 5? from 094609.70 to 094743.74.
    
    ---
    
    Thanks to Rob Matson for the high accuracy of his IRIDFLAR.
    
    Ir   Date      Time  Al Az  Mag
    74  0-10- 2  9:37:00 59 219 5.2
    74  0-10- 2  9:37:40 46 204 1.7
    74  0-10- 2  9:38:40 31 195 5.9
    
    72  0-10- 2  9:46:20 48 230 5.4
    72  0-10- 2  9:47:00 38 216 4.0
    72  0-10- 2  9:48:00 27 205 6.0
    
    ---
    
    Ir P06  72
    1 25343U 98032B   00275.96101990 +.00000159 +00000-0 +49811-4 0 02869
    2 25343 086.3941 253.8124 0002504 082.2699 277.8771 14.34219543124464
    Ir P05  74
    1 25345U 98032D   00276.02444910  .00000037  00000-0  63134-5 0  2861
    2 25345  86.3948 253.7993 0002441  80.4839 279.6629 14.34218168124477
    Ir P07R 75
    1 25346U 98032E   00275.96736470 -.00000104 +00000-0 -44126-4 0 02977
    2 25346 086.3956 253.8372 0002350 079.4131 280.7326 14.34217104125030
    
    
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