Recently I have been working on a new 3D program for satellite tracking that could provide a good visualization of satellite flares. My main intent was to study the NOSS flares. Accordingly to my model, some NOSS satellites can generate peculiar flares that may reach the negative magnitude (down to -2) and that can last even for one minute or more. This is due the right combination of the satellite movement and tilting along the orbit. This combination can make the flare spot quasi-stationary on the earth surface for some time. In addition, the satellites can flare when their elevation is quite low and this may give to the observer the impression of no motion until they disappear completely. Despite I’ve already seen a couple of long flares at negative magnitudes, more observations are necessary to validate the model. Since in the following days there will be the opportunity to see such flares in several locations all around the world, I am wondering if someone of you would be interested in carrying out the observations. Details and predictions can be found at the temporary web site: http://digilander.libero.it/SATrack/ Best Regards, Simone ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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