Obs ML (4352) 31 Aug 2005: USA 129 and a UNID (?)

From: Marco Langbroek (marco.langbroek@wanadoo.nl)
Date: Wed Aug 31 2005 - 19:20:38 EDT

  • Next message: Ted Molczan: "RE: Obs ML (4352) 31 Aug 2005: USA 129 and a UNID (?)"

    Obs SatTrackCam Leiden (Cospar 4352), 31 Aug 2005:
    
    24680 96 072A   4352 F 20050831202145800 17 75 2147274+330930 56
    24680 96 072A   4352 F 20050831202156500 17 75 2150185+372270 56
    ????? ?? ????   4352 F 20050831202950800 17 75 2212233+163820 56
    ????? ?? ????   4352 F 20050831203001500 17 75 2215578+203390 56
    
    Method: Canon Digital Ixus 400 + ASTRORECORD astrometric software.
    Camera at manual mode, "10 second" (= 10.7 second) exposure, wide field
    f2.8/7.41 mm.
    
    What these numbers mean:
    http://www.satellite.eu.org/position/IODformat.html
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    * UNID: While trying to capture USA 102, I captured a clear but UNID trail
       which I first misidentified (?) as USA 102 (23031, 94-017B). The positions
       show it cannot be USA 102: unless it manouvred, or I made some very gross
       mistake in reading the DCF77 clock (possible!).
    
       The object is some 36 to 39 seconds late relative to elset 05242.85785918
       for USA 102, and on a slightly different aspect angle it seems from the
       3.5 degree difference in ASP for start (end?) and end (vv) in the table
       below (data with Scott Campbells' SATFIT):
    
              AZ      EL      ASP     XTRK    deltaT    Perr
       ( 1)  122.09   41.90   51.28   2.36    35.59   21.088
       ( 2)  118.11   44.72   54.71   3.22    38.79   25.203
    
      Using Ted's IDSat and the Full Catalogue from Space-Track, I cannot get
      a clear match to any object. The same for Mike's classfd.tle.
    
      The object was not seen visually. At about 10 seconds after the end of
      the exposure I did see a bright short flash in Cygnus near the zenith
      (about 0.25s duration or so), which might have been the true USA 102.
      Anyting this bright (I estimate mag. +3 from the photograph) surely cannot
      be unknown, so I appreciate help in identifying it. Note that it is not
      clear which position is the start and which is the end.....
    
      Part of the image (in reduced quality) with the trail can be seen at URL:
      http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/marcoaliaslama/satellites/UNID3108.jpg
    
    
    - Marco  :-)
    
    -----
    Dr Marco Langbroek  -  SatTrackCam Leiden, Cospar 4352
    Leiden, the Netherlands, 52.15894 N, 4.48883 E (WGS84), +5 m ASL
    
    SatTrackCam: http://home.wanadoo.nl/marco.langbroek/satcam.html
    Station (b)log: http://sattrackcam.blogspot.com
    e-mail: meteorites@dmsweb.org
    -----
    
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