Re: Ed Cannon discovers another geosync flashing satellite

From: Ed Cannon (ecannon@mail.utexas.edu)
Date: Mon Feb 28 2000 - 00:59:24 PST

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    Mike McCants (mikem@fc.net) wrote:
    
    ] Last night from BCRC, Ed Cannon saw 3 flashes that appeared to
    ] be from a previously unknown geosync flashing satellite.
    ...
    ] Galaxy 7
    ...
    ] Nimiq 1
    
    Neither of those was flashing or even visible in Mike's telescope.
    
    ] Brazilsat 2
    ] 1 16650U 86026B   00056.32330693 -.00000185  00000-0  10000-3 0  5692 
    ] 2 16650   2.7402  80.4210 0002410 256.7609 201.6660  1.00270774 30891 
    ] INSAT 2D
    ] 1 24820U 97027B   00055.20250160 -.00000182 +00000-0 +00000-0 0 02565 
    ] 2 24820 001.8720 087.2139 0346369 200.7623 158.3004 01.04791492010433 
    ]
    ] Obviously Brazilsat 2 was launched in 1986 and it is probably no
    ] longer in service.  The Insat 2D is in an eccentric orbit and 
    ] lower than geosync height.  It was moved to this orbit at least 
    ] 2 years ago.
    
    Mike spent considerable time observing all four candidates in
    searching for the object, and he finally saw that INSAT 2D was 
    tumbling with a period very close to 81 seconds, with occasional 
    or rare flashes as bright as +10 (and some fainter secondaries).  
    After he watched it a while, I did also, and I saw one flash at 
    least +10 and two fainter ones.  It also had tumbles to +12 (?)
    that lasted maybe as long as 20 or 30 seconds.  (Usually +12 is
    too faint at this location, but the night was beautifully clear.)
    
    So it seems that of the four identified candidates, INSAT 2D was 
    likely the object that did at least three one-power flashes the 
    previous night.  This object circles the Earth from west to east 
    in about three weeks, and maybe it's only favorable for one power 
    flashes on one night -- if at all -- at any location....  
    
    During his searching for the flashing one, Mike discovered that 
    Brazilsat 2 was steady at about +7.5 for quite a while -- way 
    brighter than most normal geosynchs.
    
    There was a -1 flare from USA 86 (22251, 92-83A).
    
    Location was BCRC, 30.314, 97.866, 270m.
    
    Later I was able to observe TDF 1 once again, but from in town
    -- not as good a location, especially for one 14 degrees above
    the horizon.  It had speeded up a little from the previous night.
    
    Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexas.edu - Austin, Texas, USA
    
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