Mir & STS-89

Ed Cannon (ecannon@mail.utexas.edu)
Sat, 24 Jan 1998 07:44:30 -0600

Hoped to see Mir and STS-89 this morning and was truly pleased to
find a *very* clear sky.  They were only 15-16 degrees up at their
culminations but first appeared at a very good phase angle in the 
WSW.  They were separated by what I estimate to be about 10 to 20 
degrees.  Mir was very bright at first but dimmed as phase angle 
became less favorable.  STS-89 appeared dim at first but brightened 
gradually and remained visible longer and lower than Mir was.

Also notable was Magion 5 Rk (#24294, 96-50D), a very high pass
that may have been as bright as +1.  It was only 326 km (204 miles)
distant at its culmination.

Ed Cannon
ecannon@mail.utexas.edu
Austin, Texas, USA -- 30.3086N, 97.7279W, 150 m