Question to SeeSat-L members/

Alan Pickup (alan@wingar.demon.co.uk)
Wed, 11 Mar 1998 20:31:44 +0000

In message <01bd4c9c$18292240$9ac866ce@perseus.peganet.com>, Linda
Jacobson <milkyway@peganet.com> writes
>
>I am looking for information regarding an observed re-entry of an unknown
>satellite.
>The event was witnessed *across the State of Florida* and from my location
>in SW Florida,
>Ft. Myers Florida, located at long 26deg lat 81deg at 6:40p.m. EST. on March
>7th.
>
>The re-entry appeared as two distinct ionizing bodies which "glowed" white
>and *sported comae and one a tail some two degrees long*.  They appeared and
>travelled together less than 8degrees apart from one another.  They appeared
>to be travelling "flat" to my vantage point from East to West.  They do not
>fit my normal observed perception of a satellite re-entry event due to the
>tail and comae present on both bodies.  In additon I noticed no "booms" or
>sounds associated with the observation.
>
>Could you please check your reentries for a possible ID on this event?

Not a re-entry, I think. We have seen a suggestion that this may be
linked with "secret naval testing" but, in any case and as per my reply
in the thread regarding the lights seen from CA on the following day,
there were no known re-entries around this time. Also the E->W motion is
a strong contra-indicator for a re-entry since very few satellites have
such obviously retrograde orbits - I know several have inclinations
around 97 deg, but these don't move predominantly E->W except near apex
(their most northerly or southerly points at very high latitudes).
Exceptionally, SeeSaters might note that the satellite OFEQ 3 (#23549 =
95-18A) with its 143 deg inclination appears to be heading for decay
this summer.

Alan
-- 
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