updated (June 3) test results for ISS / Venus transit

From: Thomas Fly (tfly@alumni.caltech.edu)
Date: Fri Jun 04 2004 - 00:50:00 EDT

  • Next message: Thomas Fly: "Re: accuracy of ISS / Venus transit track"

    The following results were computed June 3, using the TLE posted earlier by the
    MCC:
    
    1 25544U 98067A   04159.51932743  .00020000  00000-0  20000-3 0  9046
    2 25544  51.6325  15.0272 0005564 207.3287 152.7581 15.68778822501504
    
    These results therefore supersede the results posted earlier:
    http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jun-2004/0021.html
    
    An elevation of 0 meters (above the WGS84 ellipsoid) was used in all cases.
    
    When I checked my result for "Contact 2" against CalSKY (which evidently also
    had updated to the new TLE), I got reasonable agreement:
    
    Tuesday 8 June 2004
      Observer Site User Site, Kazakhstan
    WGS84: Lon:  +80d42m48.6s  Lat: +45d48m23.4s  Alt: 735m
    All times in ALMT or ALMST (during summer)
    
    12h32m55.01s ISS May cross the disk of Venus. Separation: 0.02d
    Position Angle: 202.9d  Angular Velocity: 63.1'/s
    Angular diameter: 45.2"  size: 73.0m x 44.5m x 27.5m
    Satellite at az: 145.1d SE  h: 63.5d  dist: 409.7 km  mag=10.6m
    Satellite apparently moves to direction 292.9°
    Centerline, Closest Point Map: Lon:+80d42m52s E  Lat: +45d48m19s dist: 0.15 km
    az: 148.0d SSE  Path direction:  58.0d ENE  ground speed: 7.394 km/s
    width: 0.3 km  max. duration: 0.0 s
    
    CalSKY used an elevation of 735 meters for its computation, so some disparity is
    to be expected.
    
    
    A - seconds elapsed since "Contact 1," at 5:13:29 UTC
    B - UTC time (June 8)
    
    C - elevation angle of the ISS/Venus
    D - azimuth angle of the ISS ( + is East from North; - is W from N)
    E - range (miles)
    
    F - latitude for observing the transit
    G - longitude
    
    H - sun elevation angle
    I - sun/Venus separation angle
    
    A----   B------  C--- D----- E--- F------- G-------- H---- I----
    ORBIT 1: The ISS is first seen transiting Venus as Venus transits the Sun
      142   5:15:51   1.6   66.6 1276 -10.4759   16.9119   1.5   0.3
    
    Contact 2; also represents (to 0.1°) nearly the highest elevation for any
              ISS transit of Venus
     1166   5:32:55  63.5  144.9  255  45.8065   80.7135  63.9   0.2
    
     1407   5:36:56  60.0 -165.9  263  52.1987  103.2916  60.3   0.2
     1535   5:39:04  55.0 -142.5  277  53.4533  117.3412  55.2   0.2
     1639   5:40:48  50.0 -125.9  294  53.1807  129.0889  50.1   0.2
     1731   5:42:20  45.0 -112.9  316  51.9713  139.2254  45.1   0.2
     1817   5:43:46  40.0 -102.4  343  50.0723  148.1950  40.0   0.2
     1898   5:45:07  35.0  -93.8  379  47.6688  156.0884  35.0   0.2
     1974   5:46:23  30.0  -86.8  424  44.9204  163.0264  29.9   0.2
     2045   5:47:34  25.0  -81.0  484  41.9399  169.2094  24.9   0.2
     2111   5:48:40  20.0  -76.3  566  38.7839  174.8974  19.8   0.2
     2168   5:49:37  15.0  -72.4  679  35.6576 -179.9078  14.8   0.2
     2214   5:50:23  10.0  -69.2  839  32.6241 -174.9213   9.7   0.2
     2244   5:50:53   5.1  -66.5 1060  29.8724 -170.0536   4.7   0.2
     2255   5:51:04   0.8  -64.3 1332  27.6486 -165.5122   0.2   0.2
    
    
    ORBIT 3:
    11158   8:19:27   1.7   66.6 1268  -9.9386  -29.3096 1 1.4   0.2
    11168   8:19:37   5.1   66.2 1060  -8.2056  -26.1428   5.0   0.2
    
    Greatest transit of Venus
    11175   8:19:44   6.6   66.0  987  -7.4077  -24.9074   6.5   0.2
    
    11197   8:20:06   9.9   65.8  844  -5.3886  -22.1761   9.9   0.2
    11243   8:20:52  15.0   65.9  681  -1.9581  -18.3208  14.9   0.2
    11300   8:21:49  20.0   66.4  566   1.7868  -14.7088  20.0   0.2
    11365   8:22:54  25.0   67.6  484   5.7696  -11.2087  25.0   0.2
    11435   8:24:04  30.0   69.3  423   9.8727   -7.7713  29.9   0.2
    11511   8:25:20  35.0   71.9  377  14.1823   -4.2041  35.0   0.2
    11592   8:26:41  40.0   75.5  341  18.6433   -0.4391  40.0   0.2
    11677   8:28:06  45.0   80.3  314  23.1880    3.5920  45.0   0.2
    11771   8:29:40  50.0   87.2  292  28.0425    8.2704  50.1   0.2
    11875   8:31:24  55.0   97.2  275  33.1708   13.8707  55.1   0.2
    12006   8:33:35  60.0  114.2  262  39.1723   21.8322  60.2   0.2
    12211   8:37:00  63.4  151.4  255  47.0910   37.1542  63.7   0.2
    13269   8:54:38   1.3  -64.7 1292  27.6285  147.5808   1.0   0.2
    
    
    ORBIT 4:
    16666   9:51:15   1.8   66.7 1264  -9.6687  -52.4188 1 1.4   0.2
    16675   9:51:24   4.9   66.2 1072  -8.0826  -49.5034   4.7   0.2
    16705   9:51:54   9.9   65.9  843  -5.1438  -45.3387   9.8   0.2
    16751   9:52:40  15.0   66.0  681  -1.7164  -41.4878  14.8   0.2
    16808   9:53:37  20.0   66.5  566   2.0262  -37.8771  19.9   0.2
    16873   9:54:42  25.0   67.7  484   6.0068  -34.3761  24.9   0.2
    16944   9:55:53  30.0   69.5  423  10.1651  -30.8877  29.9   0.2
    17020   9:57:09  35.0   72.1  377  14.4701  -27.3162  34.9   0.2
    17101   9:58:30  40.0   75.7  341  18.9256  -23.5424  39.9   0.2
    17186   9:59:55  45.0   80.6  314  23.4635  -19.4978  44.9   0.2
    17280  10:01:29  50.0   87.5  292  28.3089  -14.7991  50.0   0.2
    17385  10:03:14  55.0   97.7  275  33.4718   -9.1123  55.1   0.2
    17517  10:05:26  60.0  115.0  262  39.4894   -1.0263  60.1   0.2
    17718  10:08:47  63.2  151.5  256  47.2014   14.0971  63.6   0.2
    17920  10:12:09  60.0 -167.2  263  52.2400   33.4711  60.4   0.2
    18052  10:14:21  55.0 -142.9  277  53.4842   47.9794  55.4   0.2
    18157  10:16:06  50.0 -126.0  294  53.1405   59.8286  50.4   0.2
    18251  10:17:40  45.0 -112.8  316  51.8333   70.1361  45.3   0.2
    18338  10:19:07  40.0 -102.1  344  49.8421   79.1318  40.2   0.2
    18419  10:20:28  35.0  -93.6  379  47.3803   86.9387  35.2   0.2
    18495  10:21:44  30.0  -86.7  424  44.5872   93.7938  30.2   0.2
    18567  10:22:56  25.0  -80.9  484  41.5286   99.9856  25.1   0.2
    18632  10:24:01  20.0  -76.3  565  38.3956  105.5198  20.2   0.2
    18690  10:24:59  15.0  -72.5  679  35.1999  110.7449  15.1   0.2
    18736  10:25:45  10.0  -69.3  839  32.1578  115.6863  10.0   0.2
    18766  10:26:15   5.1  -66.7 1060  29.4103  120.5129   5.0   0.2
    
    Lowest elevation at which my program "sees" a transit
    18777  10:26:26   0.6  -64.4 1346  27.1057  125.2456   0.3   0.2
    
    
    Contact 4, on ORBIT 5:
    22350  11:25:59  22.7   67.2  519   4.3736  -59.1608  22.4   0.3
    
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