> GMT). I set up my 16 x 70 binos and looked for any flashes in the region but > found none in about half hours search. Are none of these sats flashing for > India? How does one know when flashes occur? Is there any preffered sun > angle? The geometry that causes this phenomenon is based on the following assumptions: 1. The satellite is geostationary, i.e. in circular orbit with MM=1.0027 and i=0 2. It is operationally stabilized to point its solar panel normals near the Sun. 3. The panel normals are fixed at declination 0, but follow the Sun in R.A. This means that if the Sun's declination is "near" the declination of the Clarke belt (-8 from 60N) the satellites often flare near the R.A. of 12h + Sun's R.A. You don't really have to know which satellites to look at - just find the most likely place, and keep watching it as the rotating Earth shifts it (about 2.5 degrees/h in R.A., 18 degrees/h or more in R.A. Use SkyMap (Rob Matson) to find where to look. See instructions and an example with screenshot and .cfg file at http://www.algonet.se/~b_gimle/geoflare.htm -- bjorn.gimle@tietotech.se (office) -- -- b_gimle@algonet.se (home) http://www.algonet.se/~b_gimle -- -- COSPAR 5919, MALMA, 59.2576 N, 18.6172 E, 23 m -- -- COSPAR 5918, HAMMARBY, 59.2985 N, 18.1045 E, 44 m -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@lists.satellite.eu.org http://www.satellite.eu.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Mar 06 2002 - 01:22:57 EST