[Chaos-l] Irridium flare from centaur fuel dump

[Chuck Cook]

Kumar's report seems very similar to what I saw.  I too noticed an
occasional flashing light in the area of near the beginning of the tail.  By
7:40 it was very faint in my shorttube 80.

-----Original Message-----
From: chaos-l-bounces at rtpnet.org [mailto:chaos-l-bounces at rtpnet.org] On
Behalf Of Kumar Pandya
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 7:59 PM
To: chaos-l at rtpnet.org
Subject: [Chaos-l] Irridium flare from centaur fuel dump

SpaceFlightNow.com reports a spectacular Centaur upper
stage fuel dump visible from Cape Canaveral at 6:55 PM
EST:

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av015/status.html

Here is my obsrvation report: 

Time 6.57pm, viewed naked eye: from Carrboro, Central
NC. A very bright Halo object seen with naked eye
south of cygnus. Large glowing centre, very bright
halo.

7.03 pm: 20x80 binoculars/trackable mirror
mount..Object looks surprising like a comet. A large
appx 2.5 degree fanning of bright tail..infact tail
appears to split into two. Tail appears to be
emanating from a star-like point source 0.5 degree
north of the beginng of the tail. However, there is
nothing between the tail and the moving object.
Another object emededd within the tail..flashes red
light appx 30 to 40 seconds. Tail directed in a north
south direction, but both star-like objects moving
towards north...therefore tail Perpendicular to
direction of motion. Moving very fast..
7.15p,: tail dimming..barely naked eye object and
entering cassiopia..origin of the red flashing light
now revealed to be another point source..moving
parellel to the other point source..all three ( 2
point sources and the bifurcated tail) visible

7.30 object passed beyond cassiopea, tail very very
dim..barely stands out from the surrounding sky glow.
Flashing light now flashes wiht less intensity. The
original point source fading.

Stopped tracking at 7.31pm. 


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