Unusual UnId or (EGP)
Jim Nix (nixj@bellsouth.net)
Sun, 25 Oct 1998 22:45:51 -0600
Hi all,
Had an interesting UnId Observation this evening. After collecting
flash data on Ir 14? & Ir 11 tum (veni, flashi, exiti) and observing
what I thought was NOSS 0 (D) (turned out to be Cosmos 2211 Rk) I
spotted, through binoculars, at first what I thought was an aircraft
strobe light. But, it
was invisible to naked eye so I followed it. It flashed at maybe mag
5.5 to 7 distinct in binoculars but again invisible to the naked eye and
invisible in between flashes (0.2secs).
Its period was about 3 flashes per second, very unusual. Aircraft
strobes are usually 1 per second and one can see red and green running
lights. I passed it off as probably a high flying aircraft. But the
abrupt end of the obsrvation suggested a satellite that passed into
shadow. Later, I checked passes for the evening and found that this
"aircraft" matched, near perfectly, EGP 16908, (86061A)'s trajectory.
The observation abruptly ended at the time EGP passed into shadow. I
timed obs at
Kochab
00:43:03 - at Kochab RA145142.3 Dec740802
Below Polaris
00:44:48 (3d below polaris) approx. RA090029 Dec871015
End of Obs
00:46:55 lost it to Shadow between A & G Cam 041549 68.0
Has anyone else observed this object and noted the unusual flashing?
Clear Skies
Jim
35.316N 89.886W 100m