Monday 6-APR-98 (PDT) obs

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Hi All,

Observed Superbird A from the Long Beach area Monday evening.  Peak
flashes were right on time at ~20:29:30 PDT (6-APR-98).  A few minutes
later I watched a pass of Cosmos 2322 R/B go thru the bowl of the Big
Dipper at about mag +3.5.  At 20:37 PDT I picked up NOSS 2-3 R/B in
the north-northeast as it (also) approached the bowl of the Dipper.  Its
angular velocity was more than twice that of C2322 r, and it was =
definitely
tumbling with a smooth variation in brightness from perhaps 3rd mag to
1st.  Was not able to get an accurate period as it went into shadow less
than 45 seconds later.

I decided to try my luck looking for Ed Cannon's unknown GEO flasher
(pseudo catalogue #98001 in MOLCZAN.TLE).  Clouds interfered until
about 21:05 PDT (4:05 UTC, 7-Apr-98) -- then I found it near Delta Mono-
ceros.  I wasn't able to follow it for more than 30 seconds before the =
flashes became too dim for my 8 x 56's.  Within 2 minutes, clouds rolled =
in for
good.  The brightest flashes were earliest -- around mag +6.5 -- =
suggesting
that I perhaps caught the tail-end of the flash period.  I'll start =
looking for it earlier tonite.

Didn't measure a flash period, but it was quick -- something like 2.5 =
seconds
between flashes (?).  I'll be armed with a stop watch tonite.  --Rob

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