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Shenzhou 5 and shadow.
Hi to all :-))
Please can someone enlighten me as to what the smaller and less brighter object was that followed Shenzhou 5 as it passed over Wellington New Zealand at 9:45pm on the night of the 15th Oct. It was a reasonable distance behind, but seemed to be traveling at the same speed. Thank you Gordon. |
#2
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Shenzhou 5 and shadow.
"Gordon Millar" wrote in message
... Hi to all :-)) Please can someone enlighten me as to what the smaller and less brighter object was that followed Shenzhou 5 as it passed over Wellington New Zealand at 9:45pm on the night of the 15th Oct. It was a reasonable distance behind, but seemed to be traveling at the same speed. The 2nd stage of the rocket that launched Shenzhou 5 passed almost directly overhead at 07:47:39 UTC. This was several minutes prior to the spacecraft's manoeuvre to circularize its orbit, so I expect it to have been trailing not far behind the rocket, along nearly an identical path. The rocket is twice the length of the spacecraft, and wider, so typically it is 1 to 2 magnitudes brighter. Also, it was rotating, causing it to vary in brightness over a period of 10 to 15 seconds. The spacecraft would have been comparatively steady in brightness. Does this match what you observed? Do you recall, or can you estimate, the number of seconds by which the second object trailed the first object? Ted Molczan |
#3
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Shenzhou 5 and shadow.
"Gordon Millar" wrote in message
... Hi to all :-)) Please can someone enlighten me as to what the smaller and less brighter object was that followed Shenzhou 5 as it passed over Wellington New Zealand at 9:45pm on the night of the 15th Oct. It was a reasonable distance behind, but seemed to be traveling at the same speed. The 2nd stage of the rocket that launched Shenzhou 5 passed almost directly overhead at 07:47:39 UTC. This was several minutes prior to the spacecraft's manoeuvre to circularize its orbit, so I expect it to have been trailing not far behind the rocket, along nearly an identical path. The rocket is twice the length of the spacecraft, and wider, so typically it is 1 to 2 magnitudes brighter. Also, it was rotating, causing it to vary in brightness over a period of 10 to 15 seconds. The spacecraft would have been comparatively steady in brightness. Does this match what you observed? Do you recall, or can you estimate, the number of seconds by which the second object trailed the first object? Ted Molczan |
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