96 60B Observed

Jim Varney (jvarney@mail2.quiknet.com)
Fri, 25 Oct 1996 20:44:29 -0700

Saw 96 60B (the new Molniya rocket) tonight and it is flashing!
Also looked for 96 60C, due only 5 minutes later, but didn't
see it.

The B rocket is about 1st magnitude, flashing as it rose out
of the northwest.  Period is 5.2 seconds.  After culmination 
near Vega it went steady.  According to Quicksat, at closest
approach 96 60B was only 149 miles downrange.

Thanks to Jeff Hunt for posting the elsets to Seesat so soon
after they became available.

PPAS format:

96- 60 B 96-10-26 02:21:32.79JEV  41.5 0.2   8  5.19  AA, then S, mag 1

DRA format:

96- 60 B 96-10-26 02:20:51.27 JEV +38.4578-121.3983   10  8
       0      1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8
0   0.00   5.25  10.42  15.70  20.71  26.20  31.45  36.87  41.52

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Varney       | 121^ 23' 54" W,  38^ 27' 28" N   |           Sacramento, CA
Member, SeeSat-L |           Elev. 31 ft.           |                         
Member, Sacramento Valley Astronomical Society      |jvarney@mail2.quiknet.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------