Re: Exceptional...C*1461

Edward S Light (light@argos.argoscomp.com)
Thu, 8 Aug 1996 12:24:38 -0400

Today, Bjoern Gimle posted:

> Subject: Exceptional (?) obs. of C*1461
>
> Yesterday 960807 at 21:20 UT I happened to see a very bright
> satellite at about 40 degrees elevation in the southeast,
> from Delphinus to Pegasus. A search with SkyMap revealed no
< ... stuff deleted ... >
>
> more conservative magnitude in Rob Matson's magnitude file
> than in Mike McCants', (where I have) +3.5.
>
> Cosmos 1461, std mag. 1.6 ??
> 1 14064U 83044  A 96215.40290895 -.00000020  00000-0  20462-4 0  5407
> 2 14064  65.0117 274.1300 0161794 129.8990 231.6453 14.61577634596367
>
> To match this observation, quicksat.mag should have 1.6,
> satmag.dat 2.5 as standard magnitudes !
>

I observed this object on one pass almost exactly a year ago (naked eye) as:

1995 08 12/00:57 UTC, Apparent vis mag=2.0, Quicksat intrinsic mag=+1.6
1995 08 12/00:59 UTC, Apparent vis mag=2.2, Quicksat intrinsic mag=+1.9

where my magnitudes are uncertain by a few tenths. I haven't looked for/seen
it since, but it looks like my observation agrees very well with yours.

Clear (and dark) skies!
  Ed Light

Edward S. Light
Lakewood, NJ, USA
N 40.1072, W 074.2317, +069ft=+21m
light@thecore.com
light@argos.argoscomp.com