high altitude fuel dump with 2 sats?

From: Steve Newcomb (snewcomb@gcnetmail.net)
Date: Tue Aug 31 2004 - 23:05:22 EDT

  • Next message: Kevin Fetter: "Re: high altitude fuel dump with 2 sats?"

    I observed with the unaide eye at 0.55.00 UTC in Serpens a nebulous cloud in
    clear skies, not looking quite like a regular cloud. After moving my
    telescope, 8" dobs, to get a view I saw 2 sats approx 4/10 degree apart and
    the gas cloud started about 2/10 degree from one sat. The other sat was
    lined up 4/10 degree away with the cloud looking like it came from both. The
    cloud was narrow starting the 2/10 degree away from sat1 and funneled out
    and wrapped back around. Cloud was probably 3 degree diameter, so not all
    visible in fov of telescope at same time. Slow moving, 19 seconds to cross
    the 1.4 degree fov. At 1.28.00 UTC it took 1 minute to cross 1.4d fov. I had
    to stop observing at this time. Cloud had become very faint but both sats
    still in fov together but now more like 6/10 degree apart.
    I watched it for over 1/2 hour. At times I would watch 1x and still go back
    and find it in telescope, slow moving and big cloud easy to find. The cloud
    during the last 10 minutes was not visible unaided eye. The sat closest to
    the cloud flashed several times during the 1st 10 minutes to a 5 mag, at end
    steady 8 mag. Other sat steady 8 mag.
    At 1.01.12 UTC noted the cloud going into corona boreallis 1x. Watched it
    move under the keystone of hercules 1x.
    At 1.16.10 UTC it was approx 1.5 degree under beta draco.
    At 1.25.44 UTC sat1 1/3 degree , on the right in tele view, from a double
    and sat2 at 1.25.53 1/2 degree on the other side of the double ( have not
    been able to id star double, yet)
    
    I'm going to go online and try to find the answer to what sats I saw. Wow!
    What did I see?
    
    Lat. 39.4707 Lon. -79.3388 Alt. 2753 ft. -4 UTC
    
    
    
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