There is a nice GOCE 3D Model available via http://www.esa.int/esa-mmg/mmg.pl?b=b&type=A&subtype=3D%20Model&single=y&start=1 You can turn it around with the mouse. If I turn it by just about 3° (around the vertical) the aft ring of GOCE is more prominent. I guess this is what might cause the flares Marco has been seeing all the time. Flares from this ring would probably be in the mag 2 or 3 range and because it is a ring rather than a flat surface you would see them whenever the angle is 93°. Flares from the solar panels should be in the negative mag range but more focused. Gerhard HOLTKAMP Darmstadt, Germany On Tuesday 12 January 2010 23:03, satrack@libero.it wrote: > On the 10th of January I have observed a bright flare from the > GOCE (09-013A) satellite. > > The flare was very short, red like Aldebaran, and at its > maximum, I am quite sure, even brighter than the star. > I would estimate the magnitude to about 0.5 or even 0. > > The flare occurred at 16:52:31 ± 0.5 s (UTC) on 10/01/2010. > > By using a Vertical-Along Track coordinate system, the > flaring surface orientation should be defined by: > > Angle: 93.4° +- 0.3° > Tilt: 22.6° > > These angles are consistent with those already obtained by > Marco Langbroek. > > If these results are correct, they may indicate that the > satellite is actually stabilized about 3.5 degrees off the > orbit plane and toward the sun direction. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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