UNID

From: Stephan Szyman (szymanss@hotmail.com)
Date: Fri Sep 09 2005 - 04:10:38 EDT

  • Next message: Russell Eberst: "Re: UNID"

    greetings earthlings,
    
    I'm hoping someone can help me identify my mystery object.  I'm going to be 
    a bit disappointed with myself if I in fact committed the error I suspect I 
    may have,  that is I may have mistaken polaris and delta ursae minoris for 
    kochab and pherkad, and mistook caph as polaris.  I have strong doubts this 
    is the case,  it was quite clear out on the night in question,  and in order 
    for me to have mistaken caph for polaris,  there would have to have been 
    some freak cloud covering the other stars in cassiopeia (also, delta ursae 
    minoris (4.34) is quite dim from this location, the light-polluted south 
    side of chicago.)  if I did  in fact make this error,  then the object was 
    iridium 59, which was on the exact opposite side of polaris from where my 
    mystery object was at the exact same time,   running along a virtually 
    parallel path.
    
    I was out on the night of sept 1st UTC;  as stated in an earlier post,  I 
    observed a pass by lacrosse 4 which flared to an unexpected brightness 
    between 02:03:35 and 02:03:55 UTC.
    
    I was watching this with my uncle.  we then caught sight of two unpredicted 
    objects,  one was iridium 58 which flared (unexpectedly since HA hadn't 
    predicted it) at 02:05:05 UTC in capricornus;  the second target I have been 
    testing various objects listed on calsky for (down to 7th magnitude) and I 
    can't seem to ID it using that program.
    
    the unidentified object moved from what seemed to me to be the zenith or 
    near the zenith straight down between  kochab and polaris, and on toward the 
    northern horizon.  an imaginary line between kochab and polaris this object 
    crossed at approximately 02:17:16 UTC (plus or minus 4 seconds) and that 
    same imaginary line would have been almost perfectly bisected by the 
    object's path.
    
    that object was bright enough to catch my eye from my vision's periphery, 
    and stayed constant in brightness as it descended in elevation.  probably it 
    was between 3.5 and 2.5 magnitude. if I were forced to say what I suspected 
    the object to be,  I would say iridium.   but oh, please don't let it be 
    #59.
    
    clear skies!
    
    stephan szyman
    chicago IL USA
    41.6840N, 87.7000W; 188 msl
    
    
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