> I'm wondering what the effect would be if the hundreds >of little mirrors of a Starshine satellite were convex. A convex mirror distributes the reflected light over a greater area yes, but in doing so the light at any one place is less bright. E.g., I've never noticed a shadow being produced by the sun reflecting off a convex mirror like the obvious ones created by a flat mirror. I believe that the reason the mirrors are so precisely ground is to maintain the brightest (most concentrated) light possible. Have a good one. We still have 36 minutes to go before midnight here. I have the pack of firecrackers in my pocket ready to go! :~) Tom W. USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ed Cannon" <ecannon@mail.utexas.edu> To: <SeeSat-L@satobs.org> Sent: Monday, December 31, 2001 11:08 PM Subject: Re: Starshine update > I'm wondering what the effect would be if the hundreds of > little mirrors of a Starshine satellite were convex. > > Is EGP/Ajisai still rotating due to its high orbit? Its > diameter is 2.14 meters; mass is 685 kg. Its apparently > rapid rotation and the brightness of its flashes from > such a high orbit make me wonder if quite a bit faster > rotation would be better for Starshines. > > Happy 2002 to everyone, with clear, dark nights! > > Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexas.edu - Austin, Texas, USA ----------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@lists.satellite.eu.org http://www.satellite.eu.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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