RE: Falcon 9 deorbit burn observed from Spain

From: Richard Cole via Seesat-l <seesat-l_at_satobs.org>
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2021 11:13:48 +0000
I will have to work the model, but I think the bright object at the end of pass is one or more of the solar panels of the 60 Starlinks in that bunch becoming visible to the observers in Spain. The panels (if sun-pointing in the way Starlinks do it in the parking orbit, given this is only 40 minutes after deployment) would have been pointing away from the observer in the early part of the pass and the objects would be faint (traces of multiple objects can be seen in the Seville video, against the apparent gas cloud). Late in the pass the panels and other reflective surfaces on the spacecrafts would have been close to the angles to reflect the Sun to the observer. I would have expected the 2nd stage itself to be brighter, but the video from the Benicassim station cuts in late and the range from the Seville station  is always >1000km, and a small phase angle.

Regards

Richard Cole

-----Original Message-----
From: Seesat-l <seesat-l-bounces+richardc=recole.plus.com_at_satobs.org> On Behalf Of Marco Langbroek via Seesat-l
Sent: 18 February 2021 09:06
To: satelliet lijst (SeeSat) <SeeSat-L_at_satobs.org>
Subject: Falcon 9 deorbit burn observed from Spain



-- retry as first attempt to post came back undeliverable   M.


In a series of tweets, Josep Trigo of the Spanish Institute of Space Sciences
(CSIC-IEEC) presented imagery today from the 16th of February, captured by meteor fireball camera's in Spain near 5:58 UT that night.

They almost certainly show the deorbit burn of the Falcon 9 upper stage from the Starlink launch that night.

Video imagery:

https://youtu.be/UJSS3xxkxyk

Start of tweet thread:

https://twitter.com/Josep_Trigo/status/1361994709858664451?s=20

I think the 'curious aureole' mentioned in the video, explained as 'cloud effects', might actually be gas from the deorbit burn.

- Marco


-----
Dr Marco Langbroek  -  SatTrackCam Leiden, the Netherlands.
e-mail: sattrackcam_at_langbroek.org

launchtower:    http://launchtower.langbroek.org
Station (b)log: http://sattrackcam.blogspot.com
Twitter:        _at_Marco_Langbroek
-----
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Received on Thu Feb 18 2021 - 05:14:33 UTC

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