Observations Thursday Apr. 24.
Robert Sheaffer (sheaffer@netcom.com)
Fri, 25 Apr 1997 08:32:19 -0700
Observations Thursday April 24 (25 April 1997 UT)
00:29:44 UT. Rob Matson informed me of another predicted solar transit
this time of Cosmos 923 r/b, Norad # 10121.
Using 90mm solar filter off-axis on 310mm
reflector, effectively a 90mm f/22 off-axis reflector.
100 power used. The solar disk was uniform and without
visible spots.
About the predicted time (unfortunately,
exact time not recorded), a tiny spot that I first
took for an "eye spot" seemed to move into the
solar disk, then disappeared. I was unable to trace
it across the solar disk; the transit was expected
to take 2 seconds. The telescope shaking in the wind
made it very difficult to track objects of that
scale. Conclusion: uncertain whether or not transit
was observed. Successful observations of this kind will
require a very steady telescope, and atmosphere as
well.
04:24:21 Cosmos 1980 rocket (#19650). Appulse with Epsilon
Virginis. Slow-moving, mag =3.
04:40:56 Near-zenith culmination of Cosmos 405 rocket (#5118).
Magnitude =3.
04:41:30 Very close appulse with Alpha Ursae Majoris. Running
about 10 sec faster and 1 mag brighter than predicted
from elset of 97106.98.
04:42:10 Unknown satellite, magnitude 3.8 moving eastward,
(i.e., near its culmination),
appulse with Denebola (Beta Leonis). No candidate
found in current Molczan list brighter than mag 10.
04:43:11 Cosmos 1048 r (#11112) Appulse with Mars. Mag 4.2.
04:47:57 Near-zenith culmination of Aureole 3 rocket (#12849),
mag 4, moving southbound. Mag 4.6 predicted from
standard mag.
Robert Sheaffer - robert@debunker.com - Skeptical to the Max!
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