RE: Satellite transit question

From: Kevin Fetter (kevin_fetter@hotmail.com)
Date: Wed Jan 08 2003 - 20:25:19 EST

  • Next message: Kevin Fetter: "Re: iridium flare on moon"

    Rob Wrote
    
    Kevin Fetter has long asked for this feature in my EARTH program, but
    other projects have unfortunately occupied my free time over much of
    the last year.  The aforementioned EARTH program ~does~ generate
    exactly the kind of file you want (time, latitude, longitude) for
    a satellite's transit centerline track, but for *solar* transits
    rather than lunar ones.  If there is still interest out there (a
    show of hands?) I'll bite the bullet and code it in.
    
    Heck I even used rob EARTH program to try and find out where I could go to 
    see an iridium flare on the moon. So I used the rob program, with data from 
    stk, and got a hit. It took some work, but I knew my wacky idea sort of 
    works:)
    
    Here's my wacky logic, get ready to laugh:)
    
    I use EARTH to get the path where a certain iridium satellite is flaring. I 
    use stk to see where that certain iridium will transit the moon's centre. I 
    plot the data from earth and stk programs on a map found in the guide 
    astronomy program. I then look at the path's and see when the time of a 
    iridium flare is close to the time that satellite go across the moon. Since 
    the flare path is where the flare is brightest, and the line from stk where 
    the satellite will go across the centre of the moon, then if the two lines 
    cross somewhere on earth, and the time they cross is close to each other, 
    then you should be able to watch a flaring iridium sat go across the moon 
    around that area. So I did a test, after I little work, I ran skymap, and 
    what do you know, it show's a flaring iridium going across the moon. It was 
    for an event in the future so the error's add up , but still it seems to 
    work:)
    
    Now if rob could write a program to find where to go to see a iridium flare 
    on the moon, when he has the time.
    
    Kevin
    
    
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