Re: Distant satellite
Ron Lee (ronlee@pcisys.net)
Sun, 07 Dec 1997 12:39:30 -0700
>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.
With an eccentricity of 0.0861165, that is closer to circular in my
opinion. I just looked through a recent Alldat.tle (McCants) and found
this elset that is close to the mean motion:
94004C
1 22987U 94004C 94104.94558226 -.00001003 +00000-0 +10000-3 0 00321
2 22987 067.0741 059.5229 9058578 202.4707 043.9901 00.46882193001010
Note that it is very eccentric (e=0.9058) so it may not be the same.
I also noted the old date of this elset as well as an old date for object
94071C. 94004C is in a 218 x 127027 km orbit. That would be fun to watch
at perigee.
Its (UNID) orbital heights are about 63,200 x 76,400 km, which rules out the
Vela satellites. Beyond this, I can't ID it. Were any magnitudes
given for the object?
Ron Lee
>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
>
>