Re: Unknown Satellite: 26/3 1005UTC, Melbourne, Aust
Ed Cannon (ecannon@mail.utexas.edu)
Sat, 27 Mar 1999 19:36:23 -0600
Evan Duffield (e.duffield@bigpond.com), on Sun, 28 Mar 1999 00:00:55 +1100,
wrote:
] Unknown Satellite: 26/3 1005UTC, Melbourne, Aust
]
] Observed a bright satellite (mag. 2-3) approx 45 degrees above the NE
] horizon, heading north at this time in Melbourne, Australia (-37.441 lat.,
] +144.9616 long.)....
I'm pretty sure that this was a "minor flare" of Iridium 64 (25287,
98-21C). Here's output from Rob Matson's Iridflar (with a guess for your
altitude above sea level and UTC +10 per GSOC's value for Melbourne):
Site name: Melbourne, Australia
Latitude: -37.44100 Longitude: 144.96160 Altitude: 50.0 m
Time Zone: UTC +10.0 h
Local Local Iridium Sun Flare Maximum Flare Ird
Day Date Time Azm El Rnge N I Azm Elv Mag MMA Latit. Longit. # S
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Fri 99- 3-26 20:03:45 054 56 933 A L 256 -20 3 L -38.360 144.026 64
Fri 99- 3-26 20:04:00 046 52 973 A L 256 -20 2 L 79.0 km W 64
Fri 99- 3-26 20:04:15 040 48 1023 A L 256 -20 4 L -36.750 144.095 64
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I'm wondering just a little bit about the time, since your message says
"Sun, 28 Mar 1999 00:00:55 +1100".
Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexas.edu - Austin, Texas, USA