Re: FW: Debris field ??

From: Ed Cannon (ecannon@mail.utexas.edu)
Date: Wed Feb 06 2002 - 16:28:09 EST

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    Regarding the quoted report below, Orion 3 was making passes 
    during the evenings mentioned, and it's several minutes earlier 
    each night.  It could not explain all of the phenomena (e.g., 
    the green fireballs), but it fits to some degree -- if it was 
    flashing brightly and the flash positions moved to the east 
    each evening.  Two nights there were ETS 6 perigee passes also.  
    Insat 2D was also there at least a couple of evenings, and it 
    moves eastwards from night to night.  Superbird A was in the
    west, but of course it moves westwards and is later each night.  
    I think there's some possibility of multiple unrelated flashing 
    objects coincidentally involved.
    
    Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexas.edu - Austin, Texas, USA
    
    > From: S & P McGhee [mailto:celt@xtra.co.nz]
    > Sent: 06 February 2002 08:27
    > Subject: Debris field ??
    > 
    > Observation Site: 35.125° S,  173.717° E (Northland, NZ)
    > Sky position:  Originally sighted at approx 30° Alt in the 
    > NW @ ± 1000Hrs UTC
    >        Over the last 5 days position has shifted and is now
    > in Orion @ ± 0830 UTC
    > Trajectory:  Stationary.  Group travels approx 15°NE each 24Hr
    > 
    > Objects consist of multiple targets over a FOV of approximately 
    > 20° ! giving random flashes up to Mag -8.
    > There have been a number of bright green (standard hunk-o-junk) 
    > burnouts radiating from this group and given the decrease in 
    > flashes I believe most of the objects may have already decayed.
    > 
    > I am losing the observations now due to the activity period 
    > drifting into the evening light, but hope to get a photo before 
    > I lose it completely....
    > 
    > This has been an amazing sequence (imagine a months Iridiums all 
    > stacked up into one area)....
    > Pete McGhee
    
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