Re: HST double flare over Houston

From: Gerhard HOLTKAMP (grd.holtkamp@t-online.de)
Date: Sun Jul 03 2005 - 17:33:58 EDT

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    Bill Purcell wrote:
    
    >I just watched the HST as it passed over Houston, and was treated to an
    >unexpected double flare!   At approx. 21:34:00, it flared to about -2,
    >then at 21:35:30, it flared again to about -4, the brightest I've ever
    >witnessed it ... quite a sight, indeed.  I guess the solar panels were
    >aligned just right for my vantage point.
    
    Assuming that these times are Central Daylight Time on 2-JUL-05 and that the 
    solar panels were pointing straight at the Sun the difference in their 
    pointing to the ideal flare direction would have been 37° at 21:34 and 18° at 
    21:35:30. So it seems unlikely that the solar panels were responsible (does 
    anybody know whether the HST solar panels are always pointing directly at the 
    Sun?).
    
    I have seen the HST flare on a number of occasions (but never a double flare) 
    and I think one prime candidate would be the flat back surface (where the 
    prime mirror is located). This offers the exciting possiblity of figuring out 
    where the HST was looking at when the flare occurred. Assuming your -4 flare 
    at 21:35:30 was caused this way the back surface would have been pointing at 
    RA 5h34m, Decl 18°44' and the HST observations done at the time would then be 
    in the opposite direction of the sky. Does anybody know whether there is a 
    website to find out where the HST was pointing at during that time to test 
    this hypothesis?
    
    Gerhard HOLTKAMP
    Darmstadt, Germany
    
    
    
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