NEAR Sunglint(s) Observation Report Location: 117.0064W 34.8829N 670m Sky condition: Good, small amount of light pollution from city lights. Used 10 x 50 binoculars, resting in a recliner. Field of view was such that the distance between Per-delta and Per-nu took up about 75% of my field. From my vantage point, a line drawn between these two would be almost parallel with the horizon at about 50 deg elevation. NEAR's observed path was midway between these two stars, somewhat closer to Per-delta. It began about 3 degrees above the line, moving perpendicular to it, to about 7 degrees below the line trailing off toward the right (north). UT times below from WWV. Unless the word "about" is used, accuracy of times below is -0 to +2 seconds. UT date: 1/23/98. 06:39:18 First picked up NEAR. It was already beginning to flare. About mag 7 or 6 and rapidly decreasing. Mag peaked out between 1.5 and 1.8 and lasted for about 25 seconds centered about 06:40:00. 06:40:58 All evidence of flare gone but I continued to follow NEAR at about mag 8 or 9. I decided to try to see how long I could follow it at this magnitude, when, much to my delight, at . . . 06:43:48 NEAR began to flare a second time! This flare had a peak mag of 2.8 to 3, max about 06:44:10. 06:44:33 Second flare complete, continued to follow NEAR at mag 9. 06:45:50 NEAR became too dim to see. --Ralph McConahy