I went outside my apartment to look for Iridium 23
(to see if it was flashing) but did not see it.
However, just before giving up and going back
inside I saw a very bright flash and then another
one about 9-10 seconds later, and they continued
for at least five minutes. It was not moving much
and proved to be ETS 6 (94-056A, 23230). These
were at least +1 magnitude flashes if not brighter,
although outside my apartment is a difficult site
for estimating magnitude due to much light trespass
from all around. They very easily outshone alpha
Ceti (mag. +2.5), the brightest nearby star. I
couldn't see Aldebaran due to trees or a building.
So, this was from 0:40-45 UTC, when ETS 6 was in
the area of RA 2:21 to 2:55, Dec -3.1 to -1.1. It
was still flashing brightly when I went inside due
to not being dressed for the cold and wanting to
identify it (although I was pretty sure I knew).
It will be in the same area of the sky three days
from now. It was just passing its perigee and was
at a range approaching 7,000 miles (11,200 km).
By the way, the Japanese renamed it Kiku 6 after
it was launched.
Ed Cannon - Austin, Texas, USA
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