Re: GORIZONT 23 FLASHING

Robert Sheaffer (sheaffer@netcom.com)
Mon, 4 Aug 1997 20:01:25 -0700 (PDT)

Jay Respler
> 
> Seems like this is a sister to Superbird in that it only flashes very brightly
> at certain times.  I looked for it a few times on other days with binoculars
> without seeing it.  This time it was flashing to mag 6, period 53 sec. Watched
> for 4 cycles starting 5:01UT then left binoculars set at the spot.  When I
> came back at 5:23 UT, I saw only 1 flash at about mag 8-9, and then no more.

A few months ago, when it was visible here on the west coast, I observed
it several times, sort of late-ish local time (11PM - midnight). The
exact times and dates were posted to this list. It was
flashing about mag 5 - 6 every time that I looked for it.
Then, a few weeks later, I looked for it several times in the
earlier evening, and didn't see any flashes at all. Perhaps it's
a time-of-day phenomenon, dependent on your sun angle.

> Does someone want to predict when Gorizont is flashing at its brightest?

I'd love to. Unfortunately, I don't know how!



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