Re: unid flare
Mir16609@aol.com
Wed, 24 Feb 1999 23:04:46 EST
In a message dated 2/24/99 10:51:02 PM Eastern Standard Time, tmackenz@mta.ca
writes:
> I saw a flare from out side my Sackville apartment tonight while
> setting up my telescope. It was at 23:13 UT (7:13pm local) bearing NNE at
> 5-10d altitude heading slowly (? 0.2d per second) and almost horizontally
> toward the NNW (i.e. retrograde-ish). It caught my eye by leaping forth
> from behind a rooftop of the house across the street, and it travelled,
> peaking at 0 or brighter, for about 10-15 seconds until dimming to
> invisible. I have tentatively got it as MOS 1-B (20491/90013D), but it was
> supposed to be nearly 9th mag. What would make this sat flare by 9+ mag's?
> Is it something else? I only checked with the current molczan.tle.
> -t
Landsat strikes again. Landsats 4 and 5 will produce unexpected flares even
at low elevations.
Landsat 4 4.0 2.0 3.7 5.6 d 706 x 699
1 13367U 82072A 99055.13232402 +.00000737 +00000-0 +17447-3 0 03193
2 13367 098.3910 104.8589 0004406 170.4978 189.6294 14.57010404883539
This seems to fit your description of the pass.
Cheers.
Don Gardner
Homepage: http://hometown.aol.com/mir16609
39.1796 N, 76.8419 W, 34m ASL