Re: USA 81 - Flasher?

From: Bruce MacDonald (bgmacdonald@tesco.net)
Date: Tue Nov 11 2003 - 17:47:50 EST

  • Next message: Ted Molczan: "RE: USA 81 - Flasher?"

    Ted, thanks for the reply.
    
    I have checked both passes on Heavens Above and Bjorn Gimle has kindly sent
    me a chart to compare them.
    
    Given the weight of evidence that you have, I am prepared to admit that I
    identifed the wrong sat and that what I saw was in fact Cosmos 2082.
    
    I am certain of the position, but not the exact time.  I had been scanning
    the sky around eta Cassiopeiae from 18:07.  I don't think that I waited four
    minutes before following the object, but I don't have a record of it.
    
    I set my watch against the British Telecom time signal, so I am confident of
    the time I began scanning for the sat, but I do not have access to a
    reliable atomic clock signal to time passes against (which is why I haven't
    tried positional measurements yet).  Therefore I couldn't tell the exact
    time when I was watching through the binoculars.
    
    USA 81 is my priority target and hopefully when I get a good pass here I
    will have another go at observing it.  Although I have been interested in
    astronomy for over twenty years I am still new at satellite observation.
    
    BTW can anyone in Europe let me know of a way of getting an accurate time
    signal?  I do own a shortwave radio so I can receive HF signals, but not
    very longwave ones.
    
    Bruce
    
    Devizes UK 51.3440 N 1.9849 W 125m
    
    
    Ted Molczan wrote:
    
    > Are you sufficiently certain of your observation time and sky-position to
    rule
    > out this object?
    
    
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