Optical 10 Sept 2010 Part 1

From: Greg Roberts (grr@telkomsa.net)
Date: Sat Sep 11 2010 - 07:25:12 UTC

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    Observations 10 SEPT 2010
    -------------------------------
    
    Cosatrak 1 (Computerised satellite Tracking System).
    Camera mount now carries two systems that can be operated
    together as two totally different sytems and computers used.
    
    Meade DSI Pro II Monochrome CCD camera without filters.
    using integration times of 5 sec min to 25 seconds maximum
    depending on brightness of sky in particular area.No image
    processing done, but some done automatically in the auto reduction
    software.
    
    Used with 4 inch SKYWATCHER refractor- model 1025 - fitted with home
    made focal reducer to give an f/2.56 system. Image scale is 6.56 arc
    sec/pixel and field of view 84.8 x 63.2 arc minutes. Shows 15th
    magnitude stars in real time with reasonably good conditions.
    
    Exposure time to nearest second inserted into image FITS header
    from PC clock which is automatically checked every minute against
    GPS signal.
    
    Site 0433 : Longitude 18.51294 deg East, Latitude -33.94058 deg,
    Elevation 10 metres-situated in Pinelands (Cape Town),South Africa
    
    
    FOR CLASSFD.TLE:
    ==================
    MITEX NRL
    29242 06 024C   0433 G 20100910215131000 16 15 1940554+023137 87
    29242 06 024C   0433 G 20100910215250000 16 15 1942174+023044 28
    AEHF 1
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910213642000 16 25 1934216+021990 39
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910213937000 16 15 1935216+022508 88
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910214818000 16 15 1938429+024034 38
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910215655000 16 15 1941448+025606 69
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910215805000 16 15 1942074+025816 38
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910215923000 16 15 1942359+030031 19
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910221609500 16 15 1948174+032926 78
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910221740500 16 15 1948524+033206 19
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910221843500 16 15 1949128+033358 68
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910222727500 16 25 1952165+034834 38
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910222839500 16 15 1952311+035024 58
    36868 10 039A   0433 G 20100910222929500 16 15 1952496+035143 29
    AEHF1 R
    36869 10 039B   0433 G 20100910171919000 16 15 1917305-022059 28
    36869 10 039B   0433 G 20100910172012000 16 15 1917599-021830 28
    36869 10 039B   0433 G 20100910172100000 16 15 1918264-021618 28
    36869 10 039B   0433 G 20100910172154000 16 15 1918551-021346 18
    36869 10 039B   0433 G 20100910172430000 16 15 1920191-020638 18
    36869 10 039B   0433 G 20100910172631000 16 15 1921227-020109 28
    
    
    STRAY SEEN:
    =============
    RADUGA 14
    25642 99 010A   0433 G 20100910172012000 16 15 1918521-022944 28
    25642 99 010A   0433 G 20100910172100000 16 15 1919402-023124 28
    25642 99 010A   0433 G 20100910172154000 16 15 1920340-023325 18
    
    NOTES:
    --------
    (1) Had to search for AEHF 1 - rather difficult - near apogee
    so faint and mostly invisible except for about 10% of its
    visibility cycle when it reached perhaps magnitude +14 for
    perhaps 30 seconds. Things were further complicated in that it
    was trailing almost parallel to star trails so had to use
    exposures of 35 to 40 seconds to show the divergence. Then of
    course all this happened in the brightest part of the Milky Way
    so LOTS of stars sometimes covering part of the satellite trail
    so had to reject the image!!
    (2) More to come on other satellites seen during the search.
    
    Cheers
    Greg
    
    
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