Re: Proton rocket - spectacular

Kurt Jonckheere (kjonckheere@unicall.be)
Fri, 30 May 1997 00:32:39 +0200

hello,

again I was able to observe TElstar Proton rocket = 97- 26 B = 24813
this evening (May 29, 1997) around 21h00 UT (one day before decay?).
Today, it was flashing with a period of 5.79 +- 0.03 seconds.
Yesterday  the flashing period was 6.81 +- 0.05, so it is accelerating !

The magnitude varied between -2 and +4.  Of course it was moving very
fast (height of about 196 km).

The observation was made from 4 deg, 10 min E,  51 deg, 15 min N, 
about 20 m AMSL between 20h59m UT and 21h02m UT, May 29, 1997.

The rocket entered shadow around 21h02m14.4s UT.

I hope to see this bright, accelerating, almost decaying flasher once
again before its decay.

92- 12 B and 93-  1 B are still flashing nicely (93-  1 B had an acceleration).

Happy observing,

Kurt J