Re: Superbird A is back

From: Bjoern Gimle (b_gimle@algonet.se)
Date: Tue Aug 28 2001 - 14:12:12 PDT

  • Next message: Eric Briggs: "H-2A Tonight"

    Well, I get 06:13 local daylight time for tonight, and the Sun at -7.8
    degrees; you might find it in binoculars, since it is just 1-2 degrees left
    of zeta Orionis while it flashes.
    
    On Sep.06 the time has shifted to 06:21 - 25, and the location to
    above-right from eta Ori; with Sun at -7.7
    
    If the sky where dark enough, a stationary mount should show a single dot. A
    long-focus lens on  a siderial drive may show a nice series of dots, and the
    varying brightness - but the flashes are extremely short, and I haven't made
    a calculation on that effect.
    
    -- bjorn.gimle@tietotech.se (office)                         --
    -- b_gimle@algonet.se (home)  http://www.algonet.se/~b_gimle --
    -- COSPAR 5919, MALMA,    59.2576 N, 18.6172 E, 23 m         --
    -- COSPAR 5918, HAMMARBY, 59.2985 N, 18.1045 E, 44 m         --
    
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Anthony Ayiomamitis" <anthony@perseus.gr>
    To: <SeeSat-L@blackadder.lmsal.com>
    Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2001 10:32 PM
    Subject: Re: Superbird A is back
    
    
    > Hi Rob,
    >
    >      Any window of opportunity for Athens, Greece in the immediate
    > future? I could use the times below to arrive at a similar time for
    > Athens but at UT+3, I would be into daylight.
    >
    >      Also, any creative ideas as to how one could capture the phenomenon
    > on film?
    >
    > Anthony.
    >
    > > Hi All,
    > >
    > > Don Gardner asked about an estimated flash window for Superbird A
    > > for Ulhas Deshpande in central India.  Alas, Ulhas is out of luck:
    > > Superbird A's flash tracks have already passed India.  Indeed, I've
    > > been so busy with other projects that I forgot all about posting
    > > return predictions for Europe.  So this message exchange has served
    > > as a wake-up call.
    > >
    > > Europe: the show has already started!  Superbird A is already
    > > putting on its nightly flash show for all of western Europe, Africa
    > > and the UK.  (Actually, early morning).
    > >
    > > Tomorrow morning (Aug 29) I show European flashes starting at the
    > > Rock of Gibraltar at 3:06 UT and sweeping their way northeast to
    > > Denmark at 3:19.  I show Paris peaking at 3:13, most of Italy and
    > > Switzerland at 3:14, London and Brussels at 3:15, the Netherlands,
    > > Germany and Austria at 3:16, and Edinburgh at 3:17.  As usual,
    > > these times are approximate contingent on a well-behaved
    > > rotation axis over the last 2 1/2 months.  So start looking
    > > 10 minutes early to allow for errors in my modeling of the
    > > axis precession.  Once observed and reported, I can update the
    > > axis position, and we'll be back to 1-minute accuracy on nearterm
    > > predictions.
    > >
    > > A recent elset:
    > >
    > > Superbird A      2.4  2.6  2.2  6.2 d  4.6
    > > 1 20040U 89041A   01226.00735297 -.00000088  00000-0  10000-3 0  3009
    > > 2 20040   7.7705  50.7725 0003509 101.7311 258.4155  0.99740477 43960
    > >
    > > Best,
    > > Rob
    >
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