RE: Flaring GEO?

From: Ted Molczan via Seesat-l <seesat-l_at_satobs.org>
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2015 10:27:05 -0400
Dirk Devlies wrote:

> Could this have been a flaring GEO? Use the pointed tree as reference. In zoomed out you see
> Ursa Major en 'under' it Leo. Zoomed in, you still see the tree.
> 
> http://www.hbvl.be/cnt/dmf20150312_01575513/ufo-boven-lommel-gespot
> 
> Has been spotted near 51° north and 5° east. Time: around 22:23 local time (= UT+1) on march
> 11th.
> 
> It is south of constellation Leo - Declination aound -7° So, might have been something in
> GEO-belt.

The object was near 10:59, -4.5 (2000.0).

For the observing site, Lommel, Belgium, I used the approximate coordinates 51.23 N, 5.31 E.

IDSat reveals that the most likely candidate is Cosmos 2351 (98027A / 25327), which passed within 28 s (time) and 0.06 deg of the bright object. It was in a 66.6 deg, 3732 X 36675 km orbit, and was about 28,700 km from the observer, moving with an angular velocity of 0.01 deg/s. So it was a flaring-HEO satellite.

Information about the satellite is available here:

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/masterCatalog.do?sc=1998-027A

Ted Molczan



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Received on Thu Mar 12 2015 - 09:29:59 UTC

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