I really appreciate all the help with my NOSS post. I might have spotted the leading satellite had I been using my 3X night scope instead of my 7X binocs but when I grabbed my night scope I forgot that the battery was out of it. I saw another NOSS triad pass high overhead just after Midnight last night (misplaced the details). I estimate it was at least two magnitudes dimmer than what H-A predicted it should be. I tracked it with my night scope. It is good to know that these NOSS satellites are usually going to be very faint. It's also good to brace yourself and wait for them to pass by a certain star to be assured of picking them up. I found that the pass after midnight was moving so slowly and was so faint that it blended in with the stars very well. I really had to concentrate so as not to lose track of it. It reminded me of an old cartoon that's animation consisted of three tiny dots on an acetate being pulled across a field of the same size tiny dots in the background. The only way to pick it up is by its movement. One other thing. If secret satellites are not supposed to be visible to ground observers, could they camouflage them by painting them a dark color or that complicate things? Clear skies, Tom Iowa 42.473513N 92.360413W -5 hours GMT P.S. Thanks Louis! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ralph McConahy" <rmcconahy@earthlink.net> To: "SeeSat" <SeeSat-L@blackadder.lmsal.com> Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2002 9:07 AM Subject: Re: NOSS 2-1 (C & D) Tom Wagner wrote: > I just picked up what I believe was NOSS 2-1 (C) > and NOSS 2-1 (D) as they entered Lyra. I got the > stats at H-A. They entered Lyra at about 23:17:34. > I saw only these two together. I cannot get data > at H-A about NOSS 2-1 (B). Anybody know if this > is with the other two and I just missed it? Tom, Yes, that's what you saw. Note that the trio is C, D, and E (instead of B). C&D would have been very close to one another--nearly identical track and only separated by 1-second (less than 0.5° in the sky). As they crossed Lyra, E would have been about 3° higher and leading the other two by about 8-seconds. > By the way, while waiting for the NOSS satellites > to enter Lyra another but faster moving and much > brighter satellite zoomed through Lyra a minute or > so earlier, going the same direction as what the > NOSS satellites were about to go. You saw Cosmos 1346 r... Cosmos 1346 r 3.8 2.6 0.0 5.1 v 8.3 1 13121U 82027B 02161.68888471 +.00002650 +00000-0 +22930-3 0 00440 2 13121 081.1713 236.2431 0035741 116.5303 243.9571 14.96363590093640 > Then as I was watching the duo proceed toward > Cygnus, a fainter satellite passed in my > binocular field of view going East! You saw Cosmos 1410 r... Cosmos 1410 r 7.4 2.4 0.0 5.5 v 19 1 13590U 82096B 02163.81434862 +.00000010 +00000-0 +00000-0 0 06359 2 13590 082.6096 077.2345 0007267 048.5139 311.6561 12.42646391894430 By your description, you must have been watching NOSS 2-1 (C) and (D). It is sometimes hard to spot the outside one of the trio--in this case (E). Ralph McConahy 34.8829N 117.0064W 670m ----------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@satobs.org http://www2.satellite.eu.org/sat/seesat/seesatindex.html
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