I saw it on Monday morning, and my observations were similar to yours.
As it approached its apex it was about magnitude 2, and seemed to have
a slight, rapid pulsation in its magnitude; I thought there might have
been a thin layer of cloud in the way. Oddly, this pulsation was more
apparent to the naked eye than through binoculars. It wasn't until
after the bird passed its apex that the variation in magnitude became
more pronounced. It seemed to blink on and off approximately ninety
times per minute.


Thanks for the confirmation! I was starting to think that my eyes were
playing tricks on me early that morning. This is a really interesting rocket to
track.

I'm assuming that the constant look to its brightness was because of it's
orientation. Maybe I was first seeing it at a nearly right angle to its axis of
rotation, and then when it was closer to the horizon I was seeing it more from
the side, tumbling end over end.

Paul Z
Indianapolis, IN