> And Bjorn, I'm confused. If the sat is spinning one revolution and flashes, > and it takes 4.66 seconds to complete another revolution and flashes again, > wouldn't that be 12.88 RPM? Or is the satellite showing me two reflective > surfaces per revolution and I must divide by two? Help! A "spinning sat" indeed shows one flash/revolution/surface. If there are more surfaces, you can see secondary flashes, but they are often different in character, magnitude and timing - not always midway/symmetric wrt. the "main" flashes. In some cases, there are multiple identical surfaces, symmetrically placed visavi the rotational axis, e.g. a double-sided solar panel, exactly normal to the rotation axis, and the true period may be disguised. A rocket that has settled down from the sometimes violent jolts of separation and propellant-depletion (some weeks?) has a rotation axis perpendicular to its long axis. When it has turned 1/2 revolution, it has pretty much identical orientation to the Sun and the observer (if it is cylindrical, not conical), and the same visuall characteristics ! /Björn ----------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@lists.satellite.eu.org http://www.satellite.eu.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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