Distant satellite
Jonathan McDowell (jcm@urania.harvard.edu)
Sun, 7 Dec 1997 13:05:10 -0500
The following object has been observed, can anyone identify it?
It's been reported by the Lincoln Lab Near Earth Asteroid research team.
It's clearly associated with a highly eccentric scientific satellite,
but I don't know which one. The elements below are, I'm afraid,
in the J2000 equator frame rather than the usual B1950 one.
1 90000U 97000 A 97339.46596080 .00000000 +00000-0 +00000-0 0 00000
2 90000 066.3122 250.4967 0861165 336.2076 000.0000 0.41258420000000
Some observations:
Date RA(2000) Dec(2000)
A21015 C1997 12 06.20297 03 42 04.38 +31 27 32.0 704
A21015 C1997 12 06.22224 03 41 50.57 +31 00 26.3 704
A21015 C1997 12 06.22502 03 41 48.55 +30 56 28.4 704
A21015 C1997 12 06.23722 03 41 39.25 +30 38 54.9 704
A21015 C1997 12 06.24174 03 41 35.81 +30 32 19.7 704
Code 704 is at E long. 253 20 27.31, N lat. 33 49 06.22, alt = 1505m.
- Jonathan McDowell