ABRIXAS and Apr. 23-24 obs

Daniel Deak (dan.deak@sympatico.ca)
Sun, 02 May 1999 23:40:58 -0400

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Hello everybody,

      I've been very busy with my new job lately and will be for the next
couple of months. That's why my observation report is so late. Here are
my few positional obs for this week :

25107 97 082D   1745 E 19990424010257500 37 25 0530167+484100 68 M+010 07 003100
08835 76 038C   1745 E 19990424020631400 37 25 1435750+130000 68 S+065 07
22251 92 083A   1745 E 19990425012304200 37 25 1059000+095300 68 M+000 07
25721 99 022A   1745 E 19990503012658300 37 25 0734000+072300 68 S+060 07

25107 is Iridium 48
08835 is NOSS object (SSU-1)
22251 is USA 86
25721 is ABRIXAS

As usual, USA 86 flared slowly during the ascending portion of an east to west
pass. This time it reached mag. 0 slowly at around 01:23:40 UTC on Apr. 25.

The NOSS object was observed using a prediction made with the following elset
from an orbit calculated by David Brierley :
SSU 1 lost
1 08835U 76038  C 99103.92575618  .00000600 +00000-0 +00000-0 0
2 08835  63.3640  55.7376 0734024  23.8036 339.5344 13.41608328

As previously reported, Iridium 48 was seen flashing for the first time on Apr.
24, 01:02 UTC. Flash pattern was F f for the first minute with maxima at mag +1
to 0 and a period around 4 secs between brightest flashes.


      Interesting flashers observed two nights in a row (Apr. 23 and 24 EST) :

IRIDIUM 27 : 4.2 sec period between brightest flashes that reached
             mag -3. Flashes were sharp.

SPOT 3 : 15.3 sec between maximum brightness flashes. 4-flash pattern
         as follows : 2 faint (mag 6 ?), a brighter one (mag 4) and
         the brightest at mag -1. Really interesting to observe.

For IRIDIUM 27, the maximum brightness of flashes was obtained at near 45° Az
and 22° El for both evenings at around 01:20-01:25 UTC.

      IRIDIUM 71 has been observed on Apr.25 UTC. It was steady at first, then
slowly flared to mag 0 at 01:07:24. It then dimmed to become invisible at 1x
and then reappeared. No timing was made.

      The NOSS 2-2 trio was easily seen NAKED EYE despite a nearby moon. It
was first spotted by my girlfriend. I initially thought she was observing
3 different sats at the same time but realized it was the trio I was waiting
for. They were at around mag 3.5. Amazing sight.

      I'll conclude this report with tonight observation of objects from the
ABRIXAS launch. MEGSAT-0 was negative obs -1 min/+1min. Its magnitude must be
fainter than 9. Four minutes later, ABRIXAS was observed at mag 6. I didn't
follow it to see if it was steady but it seemed to be. Time was 01:27 on May 3.
At 01:29:30, the Kosmos-3M rocket was acquired and observed for a couple of
minutes. A 8.8 sec rotation period was observed. Brightness variation was slow
and continuous from mag 5 to 2.5. The pass was directely overhead.

      Cheers !

      Dan

--
Daniel Deak
St-Bonaventure, Québec

COSPAR site 1745 : 45.9483°N, 72.6539°W, 58 m., UTC-5:00

E-mail : dan.deak@sympatico.ca
French language satellite web site : http://www3.sympatico.ca/dan.deak/


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Hello everybody,

      I've been very busy with my new job lately and will be for the next
couple of months. That's why my observation report is so late. Here are
my few positional obs for this week :

25107 97 082D   1745 E 19990424010257500 37 25 0530167+484100 68 M+010 07 003100
08835 76 038C   1745 E 19990424020631400 37 25 1435750+130000 68 S+065 07
22251 92 083A   1745 E 19990425012304200 37 25 1059000+095300 68 M+000 07
25721 99 022A   1745 E 19990503012658300 37 25 0734000+072300 68 S+060 07

25107 is Iridium 48
08835 is NOSS object (SSU-1)
22251 is USA 86
25721 is ABRIXAS

As usual, USA 86 flared slowly during the ascending portion of an east to west
pass. This time it reached mag. 0 slowly at around 01:23:40 UTC on Apr. 25.

The NOSS object was observed using a prediction made with the following elset
from an orbit calculated by David Brierley :
SSU 1 lost
1 08835U 76038  C 99103.92575618  .00000600 +00000-0 +00000-0 0
2 08835  63.3640  55.7376 0734024  23.8036 339.5344 13.41608328

As previously reported, Iridium 48 was seen flashing for the first time on Apr.
24, 01:02 UTC. Flash pattern was F f for the first minute with maxima at mag +1
to 0 and a period around 4 secs between brightest flashes.
 

      Interesting flashers observed two nights in a row (Apr. 23 and 24 EST) :

IRIDIUM 27 : 4.2 sec period between brightest flashes that reached
             mag -3. Flashes were sharp.

SPOT 3 : 15.3 sec between maximum brightness flashes. 4-flash pattern
         as follows : 2 faint (mag 6 ?), a brighter one (mag 4) and
         the brightest at mag -1. Really interesting to observe.

For IRIDIUM 27, the maximum brightness of flashes was obtained at near 45° Az
and 22° El for both evenings at around 01:20-01:25 UTC.

      IRIDIUM 71 has been observed on Apr.25 UTC. It was steady at first, then
slowly flared to mag 0 at 01:07:24. It then dimmed to become invisible at 1x
and then reappeared. No timing was made.

      The NOSS 2-2 trio was easily seen NAKED EYE despite a nearby moon. It
was first spotted by my girlfriend. I initially thought she was observing
3 different sats at the same time but realized it was the trio I was waiting
for. They were at around mag 3.5. Amazing sight.

      I'll conclude this report with tonight observation of objects from the
ABRIXAS launch. MEGSAT-0 was negative obs -1 min/+1min. Its magnitude must be
fainter than 9. Four minutes later, ABRIXAS was observed at mag 6. I didn't
follow it to see if it was steady but it seemed to be. Time was 01:27 on May 3.
At 01:29:30, the Kosmos-3M rocket was acquired and observed for a couple of
minutes. A 8.8 sec rotation period was observed. Brightness variation was slow
and continuous from mag 5 to 2.5. The pass was directely overhead.

      Cheers !

      Dan

--
Daniel Deak
St-Bonaventure, Québec

COSPAR site 1745 : 45.9483°N, 72.6539°W, 58 m., UTC-5:00

E-mail : dan.deak@sympatico.ca
French language satellite web site : http://www3.sympatico.ca/dan.deak/
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