Optical 15th Jan 2013

From: Greg Roberts (grr@telkomsa.net)
Date: Wed Jan 16 2013 - 12:06:51 UTC

  • Next message: Greg Roberts: "Correction 15 Jan 2013"

    Observations 15 JAN 2013
    ------------------------------------
    
    Cosatrak 1 (Computerised satellite Tracking System).
    
    FLI ML8300M CCD camera with mechanical shutter + Trimble GPS
    
    Used with 135mm focal length f/2.8 TAMRON lens.
    Field of view 7.6 x 5.7 degrees.
    Images processed and measured manually.
    
    Site 0433 : Longitude 18.51294 deg East, Latitude -33.94058 deg,
    Elevation 10 metres-situated in Pinelands (Cape Town),South Africa
    
    FOR CLASSFD.TLE:
    ----------------------------
    08836 76 038D   0433 G 20130115184310571 55 15 0511287-172412 19
    08836 76 038D   0433 G 20130115184500160 55 15 0542219+032545 19
    08836 76 038D   0433 G 20130115184702283 55 15 0608508+195038 19
    16631 86 014H   0433 G 20130115195037755 55 15 2236599-335731 19
    16631 86 014H   0433 G 20130115195357603 55 15 0057056-040129 19
    16631 86 014H   0433 G 20130115195656942 55 15 0301050+350014 19
    19460 88 078A   0433 G 20130115191847119 55 15 1231507-615511 19
    19460 88 078A   0433 G 20130115192111309 55 15 0934008-445043 19
    19460 88 078A   0433 G 20130115192328593 55 15 0803401-060357 19
    23947 96 038C   0433 G 20130115211810721 55 15 0623364-634151 19
    23947 96 038C   0433 G 20130115212454497 55 15 0701256-623601 19
    24680 96 072A   0433 G 20130115202800888 55 15 2020548-731049 19
    24680 96 072A   0433 G 20130115202848142 55 15 2312518-681353 19
    24680 96 072A   0433 G 20130115202942867 55 15 0112175-443249 19
    26473 96 072A   0433 G 20130115185249461 55 15 2152047-195039 19
    26473 96 072A   0433 G 20130115185331319 55 15 2216402-140207 19
    26473 96 072A   0433 G 20130115185419812 55 15 2245360-055808 19
    28888 05 042A   0433 G 20130115201514214 55 15 1253169-531456 19
    28888 05 042A   0433 G 20130115201556249 55 15 1207095-515544 19
    28888 05 042A   0433 G 20130115201733008 55 15 1005225-391255 19
    
    STRAYS SEEN
    ----------------
    05117 71 028A   0433 G 20130115192111309 55 15 0947079-462955 19
    28939 06 005A   0433 G 20130115191724629 55 15 1306580-632218 19
    
    NOTES:
    ----------
    (1) Whilst slewing mount to a new position had a bright westward
        fast moving satellite - suspect it was OFEQ 7 running about one orbit
        and  16 minutes early on last element set 11217. Was moving too
        fast for the mount to catch up with it and get a position.
    
    (2) North Korean satellite KMS 3-2 becoming increasingly
        difficult to track. The spin rate is decreasing so magnitude
        variation not so pronounced and seems to be far less bright
        flashes. Despite a 53 degree elevation pass to the east it
        was mostly invisible, perhaps reaching mag +9 for a few seconds
        shortly before  shadow entry.
    
    (3) Despite hunting for VOTEX 6 #19976 for three nights now I
        have been unable to find this relatively bright high altitude
        satellite.
        For the past six years or so it had a predictable behaviour.
        The mean montion would slowly increase from a minimum value
        of about 1.0022 revs/day to about 1.0032 revs/day after which
        it would do a boost to restore period back to about 1.0022.
        However the behaviour seems to have changed recently and the
        mean motion increased to the highest value I have ever seen -
        nearly 1.0034 revs/day around 2012 year day 350 when last
        observed. I have searched for it since using mean motions
        ranging from 1.0020 to 1.0030 and found nothing, so either
        Im doing something wrong or the satellite has changed its
        behaviour of the past six years. Maybe it has been finally
        sent to a graveyard orbit as it is a fairly old satellite
        (1985), so unless its accidentally found again it looks like
        it is now lost to amateurs. But maybe I did something wrong
        - nothings impossible with me!
        Hopefully ISON have not lost track of it so we can resume
        tracking it in about a months time. Another one currently
        missing is WGS F3 - looks like NRO have been pretty busy
        recently moving some satellites about!
    
        Cheers
        Greg
    
    
    
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