Re: Can someone tell me what I saw?

From: Bjorn Gimle (b.gimle@chello.se)
Date: Fri Sep 06 2002 - 03:56:56 EDT

  • Next message: paul: "Cosmos 2282 into shadow 06sep"

    > When Rob first suggested this as a possibility, I went to H-A (my main
    > source) and punched it in, but it came up 20 minutes early and 20 degrees
    > too high.  Then I realized I was looking at tomorrow's pass (DUH!).
    >
    Are you aware that you can get HA to show Earlier and Later passes?
    
    > The only thing is that these were not flashes that I saw, per se, but
    > flares (regularly increasing then decreasing in brightness).  Do you chaps
    > sometimes refer to such phenomena as "flashes"?
    >
    The terminology does not appear to be strict. Flashes are from tumbling
    objects, even rockets, and may appear smooth. From solar panels etc, they
    might be call glints. From stable objects like Iridiums, they are flares.
    (?)
    
    > I wonder if it's likely to do the same thing on tomorrow night's pass.  As
    > I pointed out, it will be 20 minutes early (just before the end of
    > astronomical twilight), but also almost 30 degrees higher (83 degree
    > zenith), and this time, I can use the binos and keep the lights off!  ;-)
    >
    There is a pattern as to where - and on which passes - the flashes/glints
    ... do appear. If enough detail ( RA/dec to nearest degree - and/or time to
    nearest second - ) of negative magnitudes in different directions is posted
    in sufficient quantity over a short period (weeks), it could be possible to
    predict where flashes will occur.
    
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