#1
|
|||
|
|||
2 sightings
(1) Last evening (Wed.14th @ 1937 PDT) I witnessed my first
Iridium flare. It was Iridium 17 and was quite impressive. Flare occurred exactly on time as per Heavens-Above and was quite bright for 6-7 secs. and then steadily decreased and disappeared completely in about 10 more secs. I had never really tried to see one before but will do so more often from now on. There is a daytime flare scheduled for Sun. 19th a little after 3 pm (my location Las Vegas, NV) and I am looking forward to seeing that one. (2) I read a newsgroup posting about the Shenzhou 5 satellite being visible from my location this morning and again VOILA! right on schedule I saw it transit from the Northwest to the Northeast at 6 am PDT. My vision is not all that good and most of my sightings are via binoculars as was this one. My wife does a lot of viewing with me and she has good eyesight and most often will see a satellite before I do and she will then get me looking at the proper spot. This was the case with this one. She saw it first. This is a notable sighting (for me) because as I understand it will be gone from the sky shortly and therefor never to be seen again by anyone.... but I saw it!!! Sorry for the rambling. Just wanted to share my experiences. Tony |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
2 sightings
Tony Vinci wrote:
(1) Last evening (Wed.14th @ 1937 PDT) I witnessed my first Iridium flare. It was Iridium 17 and was quite impressive. Flare occurred exactly on time as per Heavens-Above and was quite bright for 6-7 secs. and then steadily decreased and disappeared completely in about 10 more secs. I had never really tried to see one before but will do so more often from now on. There is a daytime flare scheduled for Sun. 19th a little after 3 pm (my location Las Vegas, NV) and I am looking forward to seeing that one. Daytime flares are hard to see even with H-A's predictions. I have seen two out of a dozen or more attempts. A few pointers: 1. Only try those that are well away from the Sun. 2. Recheck the H-A prediction close to the time. They may have been adjusted 3. It has to be a perfectly clear sky. 4. Have your watch exactly synchronised to the time. 5. 5-10 minutes before hand, get your direction exact as possible; use a compass. 6. Get your height as exact as possible; 10 degrees is the width of your fist at your out-stretched arm. 7. Have the spot worked out in the sky. 8. Watch your time. When 10 seconds out, do a countdown while watching the spot, not your watch. 9. The flare is visible for about 2 seconds. By the time you say "there it is", it is gone. 10. Expect to be disappointed that you missed it. -- Larry Brash |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
2 sightings
Tony Vinci wrote:
(1) Last evening (Wed.14th @ 1937 PDT) I witnessed my first Iridium flare. It was Iridium 17 and was quite impressive. Flare occurred exactly on time as per Heavens-Above and was quite bright for 6-7 secs. and then steadily decreased and disappeared completely in about 10 more secs. I had never really tried to see one before but will do so more often from now on. There is a daytime flare scheduled for Sun. 19th a little after 3 pm (my location Las Vegas, NV) and I am looking forward to seeing that one. Daytime flares are hard to see even with H-A's predictions. I have seen two out of a dozen or more attempts. A few pointers: 1. Only try those that are well away from the Sun. 2. Recheck the H-A prediction close to the time. They may have been adjusted 3. It has to be a perfectly clear sky. 4. Have your watch exactly synchronised to the time. 5. 5-10 minutes before hand, get your direction exact as possible; use a compass. 6. Get your height as exact as possible; 10 degrees is the width of your fist at your out-stretched arm. 7. Have the spot worked out in the sky. 8. Watch your time. When 10 seconds out, do a countdown while watching the spot, not your watch. 9. The flare is visible for about 2 seconds. By the time you say "there it is", it is gone. 10. Expect to be disappointed that you missed it. -- Larry Brash |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
2 sightings
In article , Tony Vinci wrote:
This is a notable sighting (for me) because as I understand it will be gone from the sky shortly and therefor never to be seen again by anyone.... but I saw it!!! The Shenzou orbital module, on previous flights, has remained in orbit for scientific (or possibly ELINT) purposes, AIUI, on prior occasions - so at least *part* of it will be up there for a while longer... -- -Andrew Gray |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
2 sightings
In article , Tony Vinci wrote:
This is a notable sighting (for me) because as I understand it will be gone from the sky shortly and therefor never to be seen again by anyone.... but I saw it!!! The Shenzou orbital module, on previous flights, has remained in orbit for scientific (or possibly ELINT) purposes, AIUI, on prior occasions - so at least *part* of it will be up there for a while longer... -- -Andrew Gray |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
2 sightings
In article ,
Tony Vinci wrote: (1) Last evening (Wed.14th @ 1937 PDT) I witnessed my first Iridium flare. It was Iridium 17 and was quite impressive. That's great, Tony. Are you addicted yet? :-) (2) I read a newsgroup posting about the Shenzhou 5 satellite being visible from my location this morning and again VOILA! right on schedule I saw it transit from the Northwest to the Northeast at 6 am PDT. Congratulations! It's an historic event, so I can understand your excitement at seeing it. Patty |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
2 sightings
In article ,
Tony Vinci wrote: (1) Last evening (Wed.14th @ 1937 PDT) I witnessed my first Iridium flare. It was Iridium 17 and was quite impressive. That's great, Tony. Are you addicted yet? :-) (2) I read a newsgroup posting about the Shenzhou 5 satellite being visible from my location this morning and again VOILA! right on schedule I saw it transit from the Northwest to the Northeast at 6 am PDT. Congratulations! It's an historic event, so I can understand your excitement at seeing it. Patty |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Planet_X: Our 10th Planet | Rudolph_X | Astronomy Misc | 841 | May 16th 04 05:00 PM |
UFO Activities from Biblical Times | Kazmer Ujvarosy | Astronomy Misc | 0 | December 25th 03 05:21 AM |
UFO COVER-UP EVIDENCE... | [email protected] | Astronomy Misc | 45 | November 1st 03 02:24 PM |
Meteor sightings? | Andrew Morrison | Amateur Astronomy | 2 | October 18th 03 05:53 AM |
NOSS satellite(s) sightings | Tony Vinci | Satellites | 14 | July 17th 03 07:41 AM |