Re: Iridiums 11 and 14 flashes
Robert G Fenske Jr (fenske@rgfpc.electro.swri.edu)
Fri, 23 Oct 1998 08:33:02 -0500 (CDT)
On Thu, 22 Oct 1998, Ed Cannon wrote:
> Very nice one-power flashes from both Iridiums 11 and 14!
I watched these as well last night. It was our first clear
(no clouds whatsoever) night since our deluge last weekend.
> Iridium 14 (97-30A, 24836): four sets of three flashes each, some
I observed two sets of three flashes followed by a set of four
flashes. The middle flash was brightest of each set. I'd say the flashes
were on the order of -1, -3, -1 with the last set having an extra trailing
-1.
> Iridium 11 (97-30G, 24842): three groups of flashes, one of the
> last group probably at least -6; period about five or six seconds
I found that the flashes before culmination were irregularly
spaced, or at least I didn't discern on obvious period. After culmination
I saw four sharp, very bright flashes spaced about 5s apart; all four
appeared to be Venus-like (>= ~-4).
> Iridflar predicted -8 (GSOC -6) flare from Iridium 16 was somewhat
> obscured by a patch of broken stratocirrocumulus (?) clouds but
> was probably about that bright.
This one was a +0 flare for me. Made for a nice sight as it
flared through the "M" of Cassiopeia.
Robert Fenske, Jr. rfenske@swri.edu Sw |The Taming the C*sm*s series:
Southwest Research Institute /R---\ |
Signal Exploitation & Geolocation Div | I | |"The Martian canals were the
San Antonio,Texas USA ph:210-522-3931 \----/ | Martians' last ditch effort."