Thursday, August 18, 2005, 02:05:36 LT
A second clear night, with somewhat better sky conditions
than yesterday. Targets were the American Radar
reconnaissance satellite Lacrosse 2, and the Japanese
optical satellite IGS-1A that was also targeted yesterday.
Tried to capture USA 129 as well and indeed have a very
faint trail on the image, but too indistinct to measure
reliably. The limiting magnitude for satellites clearly is
near +3.0 for this camera setup.
Obtained two points for Lacrossse 2 and only one point for
2003-009A (IGS 1A), the start of the trail, as the end seems
to fade away and is very indistinct on the image.
By contrast, the trail for Lacrosse 2 is fat and bright. Saw
the sat make his pass visually, magnitude steady near +2.5 through
Pegasus just before entering the earth's shadow.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005, 02:04:20 LT
After a long period of clouds and rain, it was
clear this evening, although slightly hazy. A
gibbous moon was shining low in the south, the
sky background remained quite bright.
I targetted the two Japanese IGS spy satellites,
the optical satellite IGS 1A (2003-009A, #27698)
and the radar satellite IGS 1B (2003-009B,
#27699). The main purpose of both is to keep an
eye on North Korea. IGS 1B is a very nice, bright
naked eye object.
IGS 1B made a nice pass, I observed the satellite
visually as well while it was skimming Pegasus. It
was 0.6 seconds early relative to elset 05227.95069540.
The trail of the fainter IGS 1A is les well resolved
on the image due to the bright background. It was
~ 0.3 seconds early relative to elset 05277.91063071.
Yesterday in the daytime we had a thunderstorm, and it
rained cats and dogs. However, in the early evening it
fantastically cleared.
When I came out of the Eritrean restaurant 'Djebena' with
Renée at 22:15 LT, the dusk sky still was fantastically
clear. But of course, this was too good to be true...
At about 20:50 UTC, 15 minutes before a fine zenith pass
of IGS 1B and with the camera already mounted and ready,
the first clouds came in.... I did see IGS 1B through
broken cloud cover at magnitude +1 and did shoot a
picture, and it even shows up on that picture: but the
start- and endpoints of the trail are in clouds an cannot
be determined unambiguously enough to measure it...
Similarly, I lost the next target, IGS 1A, in clouds.
I did see a nice bright Perseid meteor through broken
clouds low in the sky. Normally I would be out on our
meteor observatory with the other guys of DMS team
"Delphinus" this time of the year, but other obligations
prevented me from joining in this year.
This week, wanting to have something usefull to do while
observing was impossible, I have started to learn myself
programming in C++.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005, 20:39:14 LT
It is still clouded. Again, I do not think tonight will
stand a chance.
About the asteroid I reported last Sunday; MPC sent the
designation K02CS9H back, but it is a 'known' object alas,
it had two one-night reports already linked. My contribution
now has been to provide another 3 nights so its orbit is more
firm now and it has made it in to the DOU today. But it does not
count as a new discovery. Such can happen.
Monday, August 08, 2005, 11:16:10 LT
Skies are still overcast here, but we are not the only
ones. The landing of Shuttle Discovery has just been
postponed by 24 hours because of bad weather at Kennedy
Space Center. And the Spacewatch telescope at Kitt Peak
has been closed for almost a month now because of
continuous instable weather.
I guess it's back to the NEAT archives then...
Coupled back the "comet" of yesterday to Rob Matson. He
thinks it's a bad orbital solution on a main belter.
Monday, August 08, 2005, 01:15:15 LT
Rain rain rain and a completely overcast sky now, so
I am going to call it a day (after all it is 1 hour
after midnight already...).
Spent the afternoon and evening searching for TNO's and
main belt asteroids in the NEAT image archives. Sent in
one set of astrometry on a probable new main belter to the
MPC. Also got a set of astrometry on two consecutive
nights only on another object, that result in a cometary
orbit. Alas two night is not enough to send it in to the MPC...
That's all for today, I am going to sleep.
Sunday, August 07, 2005, 15:30:54 LT
This ability to post through e-mail is cool....
Weather is still weird here. Rain showers the one moment,
bright clearings the other moment....
I do not give tonight much chances. Instead, I am hunting
TNO's in the NEAT archives today......
Saturday, August 06, 2005, 23:40:10 LT
The atmosphere is very dynamic again. Mostly cloudy during the daytime, seriously clearing just before sunset, but thin middle altitude cloud cover again when the sky had become dark enough for photography. Tried to catch USA 129 but failed due to the cloud cover.
Currently the thin middle altitude clouds seem to be gone again, but low altitude cumuli abound. I am going to give it one last try in about 10 minutes from now and if that fails I am going to call it a day.
