Bjorn, Joseph, and Derek, I would like to get a copy of the spreadsheet you mention below. And, as my favorite thing is such flashers (I agree they are spectacular), I would like to work on a format that would fit the inputs needed. I assume standard PPAS reports don't work. Incidentally, I have watched for this flasher the last two nights from Tulsa from about 12:10-12:35 am CST, with no luck, even in 12x60 binoculars. I guess the 500 miles I am north of Joseph precludes me getting "flashed" TULSA1: COSPAR 8336 +36.1397, -95.9838, 201 m ----- Original Message ---- > From: "Bjoern Gimle@GlocalNet" <bg_26934@glocalnet.net> > To: SeeSat-L@satobs.org > Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2009 8:55:43 AM > Subject: Re: geosync flasher > > Yes, I have made an Excel spreadsheet (using Solver) to fit rotation axis and > panel angle(s) to observations. > After that, it predicts the track on the sky for reflections at any date/time, > that you can match with predicted track to see if you have an intersection > (while sunlit). > > It needs a minimum of three observations of (different) positions of BRIGHTEST > flashes (or start+end at approximately equal magnitudes) (brighter than about +7 > for a GEO). > They should be spread out over a period of months, and/or widely varying > declinations. > With more than three obs over a long period, the precession of the axis can also > be determined, otherwise the predictions will lose their accuracy over the > following year. > > Rob Matson first did this successfully for Superbird-A #20040, and I have later > improved the fit. > But not lately. The largest tedium is washing out good observations from the > wealth of email text messages. > There is no accepted reporting format allowing search for just these > spec(tac)ular flashes. > > Search "superbird A" site:satobs.org > > /Björn > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Derek C Breit" > > >> geosynch flasher. At 12:22AM local time (06:22 30 Jan 2009 UT) it was > >> flashing to about magnitude 1.5 every 46 seconds or so. Over the next > >> few minutes the flashes were fainter and fainter. I'm at the George > >> observatory, 29 22 30 N, 95 05 37 W, near Houston TX. Any guess what > >> that was? > >> > > > > > > Is there a way to predict such occurances??? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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