Re: Geostationary Solar Eclipses 17/18-FEB-07

From: Gerhard HOLTKAMP (grd.holtkamp@t-online.de)
Date: Fri Feb 16 2007 - 17:06:54 EST

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    The prediction I gave a few days ago about the upcoming solar eclipse events 
    in geostationary orbit remain almost unchanged. Here are the updated numbers.
    
    For the annular GEO eclipse close to 104.8 East I get (times are in UTC on 
    17-FEB-07):
    ASIASAT 3S (1999-013A , #25657) at 105.5 E
    from 16:29 to 16:59, annularity from 16:43:15 to 16:44:36.
    
    ASIASTAR (2000-016A  , #26107) at 104.9 E
    from 16:31 to 17:00, annularity from 16:45:04 to 16:46:28.
    
    KAZSAT 1 (2006-022A, #29230) at 103.0 E   
    from 16:37 to 17:07, annularity from 16:51:21 to 16:51:58.
    
    In each of the three cases there should be a total drop in apparent brightness 
    by about 2 mag. The final four minutes before (and after) annularity see a 
    change in 1 mag which should be quite obvious.
    
    
    For the event close to 145.4 West I get (times in UTC at 18-FEB-07):
    
    ECHOSTAR 1 (1995-073A , #23754) at 147.9 W and ECHOSTAR 2 (1996-055A, #24313) 
    at 147.8 W, will experience a partial solar eclipse from 1:03 to 2:25. 
    Maximum eclipse (0.88) will occur at 1:40 with a total drop by 2 mag. During 
    the last 13 minutes before maximum eclipse until 13 minutes after the change 
    in magnitude should amount to 1 mag. Actually the magnitude change might be 
    somewhat less as the two sats "see" a two-third sunlit Earth with 
    corresponding reflections.
    
    Clear skies for everyone who wants to observe it!
    
    Gerhard HOLTKAMP
    Darmstadt, Germany
    
    
    
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