Koronas-F et.al.

From: Edward S Light (light@argoscomp.com)
Date: Wed Aug 01 2001 - 05:33:26 PDT

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    Last evening (Tuesday, EDT), we looked for all four Koronas-F objects
    (using 7x50 and 10x50 binoculars in a fairly light-polluted sky) but,
    like others on this list, only saw two of them (naked eye at that) at
    2001 Aug 01/01:44.0 UTC:
    
    26874 (01-032B) Koronas-F R/B at approx magnitude 3.2 (e.g. like zeta Cyg)
      followed, in about 3 seconds, by
    26873 (01-032A) Koronas-F itself slightly brighter at, say, 2.8 (brighter
      than zeta Cyg's 3.21 but fainter than epsilon Cyg's 2.48)
    
    A few minutes, ISS made a lovely (but flare-less) near-zenith pass.
    
    Later, 2001 Aug 01/02:26.2 UTC, we saw an unexpected -1 to 0 magnitude
    flare (brighter than Vega) from Meteor 3-3 (20305 = 89-086A); this was
    at an altitude of 63 degrees, azimuth 065 degrees, (astronomical) phase
    64 degrees.  We'd seen this object on three different passes in September
    1998 at apparent magnitudes of 5-1/2 to 7 with no hint of flaring.  I
    guess almost ANY non-spherical satellite can, on occasion, flare!
    
    
    Clear and dark skies!
    
    Ed and Darlene Light
    
    Lakewood, NJ, USA
    N 40.1075, W 074.2312, +24 m
    
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