1973-058B (Atlas Centaur R/B)
On August, 23 1972
an Atlas
Rocket with its
Atlas
Centaur upper stage (#31) transported the Communication
Satellite
Intelsat IV F-7 into space.
Meanwhile the communication satellite is retired. By accident the old Atlas
Centaur upper stage came into my field of view on its aphelion in 36.000 km
distance,
when I took a series of pictures
of
comet P/2010 A2 (LINEAR) at April, 7 2010.
Over the last 12
years of observing. I had hundreds of artifical objects flying through my
pictures. But none with this "low" velocity combined with a "blinking" design.
On the first moment I assumed the object being a
NEO and so I followed the track
more than an hour.
On the following image the upper stage crossed from right to left.
� 2010-04-07 by Bernhard Haeusler, Maidbronn, Germany image frozen on stars and dust structure
8 x 2 min. exposure,
2010-04-07 UT 19:08, 12" SCT
f-5.65 + CCD ST10XME
dust structure in the oval: 19.9 mag, "tail": 47" in PA 290
Atlas Centaur R/B 1973-058B � by Bernhard Haeusler, 2010-04-07 B/W image size: 30' * 20'
2 min.. exposure,
2010-04-07 UT 19:43 12" SCT
f-5.65 + CCD ST10XME
satellite:
average mag 16.0, velocity: 0.135'/sec in PA 108, rotation period: 3.4 seconds
The blinking is coming from reflexions of the Sun on the metal surface of the rocket stage.
Orbit
of Centaur D-1A AC-31:
546 x 36.423 km, 28.1�
on April, 7 2010 UT 19:00
Series of 21 images following the satellite (full size 1.7 MB)
Observation report od Jason Hatton on March,10 1998, Similiar observation of the Starkenburg Sternwarte, Heppenheim MPC 611 (in German)
After completing the observation sequence I checked the object
with the NEO checker. After getting no results for the object I tried out the
NEO rating page.
The NEO rating appeared as follows:
Digest2 -- Version 1.2.1N -- Compiled 8 Feb 2010 ---- 2010/04/11 05:16:05
Int-scores Solar Ecl. Ecliptic rates (deg/day) GCRes.
Desig. Raw No-ID VMag Elong. Lat. Long. Lat. Total rms.
MAID08 100.0 100.0 16.5 -99.0 -0.9 190.80 -26.04 192.59 137.44
Int scores n Obs. Obs. Arc
Desig. Raw No-ID VMag Obscode(s) | (d)hh:mm:ss Observation Date UT
MAID08 100.0 100.0 16.5 B82 14 01:05:33 2010 04 07 19:24:17
Notes on output:
The relevant entries for deciding whether to report an object as potentially
interesting are the two Int-scores. These are the percentage probability that
the object is an NEO: the "raw" score indicates the probability ignoring
any identifications that might be forthcoming; the "No-ID" score indicates
the probability if no identifications can be found. It is this "No-ID" score
that is a principal discriminant for whether or not an object will appear on
the NEOCP: a score of 50.0% or more is needed.
If this script produces no output for an object, report it as a possible NEO.
The percentages of 100 on the "Raw" and "No-Id." column
induced me to send the observations to the MPC, commented as a possible NEO.
The automated answer came very fast, that the object is recognized
artifical. 73058B is a typical number for a satellite.
NEODyS Observations and Residuals of B82 Maidbronn
MPC observation computed with Astrometrica:
COD B82
OBS Bernhard Haeusler
TEL 0.30-m Schmidt-Cassegrain + CCD
NET CMC-14
MAID08 C2010 04 07.80854 07 23 17.99 +22 09 08.0 16.2 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.81615 07 29 06.30 +21 48 17.0 15.8 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.81856 07 30 57.24 +21 41 15.7 16.0 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.82454 07 35 33.99 +21 22 56.0 16.3 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.82654 07 37 07.38 +21 16 26.3 16.2 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.82850 07 38 38.95 +21 10 00.4 16.2 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.83032 07 40 03.46 +21 03 57.1 15.9 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.83227 07 41 35.80 +20 57 12.0 15.9 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.83666 07 45 04.05 +20 41 28.3 16.1 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.84314 07 50 10.86 +20 17 07.2 16.2 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.84556 07 52 06.67 +20 07 31.6 15.8 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.84785 07 53 57.77 +19 58 07.8 16.2 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.85007 07 55 47.75 +19 48 41.6 16.0 C B82
MAID08 C2010 04 07.85407 07 59 03.33 +19 31 20.5 16.1 C B82
Later I checked
the object with the very useful DOS program
Sat_Id.
Here you find the actual TLE-elements for artifical satellites, used by Sat_Id,
TheSky 6 prof version or others:
www.tle.info
Satellite Identification, computed by Sat_Id :
MAID08 C2010 04 07.80854 07 23
17.99 +22 09 08.0 16.2 C B82
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 37078.7 km; offset= 0.02 degrees; motion 0.126'/sec at PA=103
MAID08 C2010 04 07.81615 07 29 06.30 +21 48 17.0 15.8 C B82
Object motion is 0.127'/sec at PA 104
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 36899.3 km; offset= 0.02 degrees; motion 0.128'/sec at PA=105
MAID08 C2010 04 07.81856 07 30 57.24 +21 41 15.7 16.0 C B82
Object motion is 0.128'/sec at PA 105
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 36828.8 km; offset= 0.02 degrees; motion 0.129'/sec at PA=105
MAID08 C2010 04 07.82454 07 35 33.99 +21 22 56.0 16.3 C B82
Object motion is 0.130'/sec at PA 105
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 36624.8 km; offset= 0.02 degrees; motion 0.130'/sec at PA=106
MAID08 C2010 04 07.82654 07 37 07.38 +21 16 26.3 16.2 C B82
Object motion is 0.131'/sec at PA 106
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 36547.4 km; offset= 0.02 degrees; motion 0.131'/sec at PA=106
MAID08 C2010 04 07.82850 07 38 38.95 +21 10 00.4 16.2 C B82
Object motion is 0.132'/sec at PA 106
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 36467.0 km; offset= 0.02 degrees; motion 0.132'/sec at PA=106
MAID08 C2010 04 07.83032 07 40 03.46 +21 03 57.1 15.9 C B82
Object motion is 0.131'/sec at PA 107
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 36388.3 km; offset= 0.02 degrees; motion 0.132'/sec at PA=107
MAID08 C2010 04 07.83227 07 41 35.80 +20 57 12.0 15.9 C B82
Object motion is 0.134'/sec at PA 107
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 36299.7 km; offset= 0.02 degrees; motion 0.133'/sec at PA=107
MAID08 C2010 04 07.83666 07 45 04.05 +20 41 28.3 16.1 C B82
Object motion is 0.135'/sec at PA 107
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 36083.7 km; offset= 0.02 degrees; motion 0.135'/sec at PA=108
MAID08 C2010 04 07.84314 07 50 10.86 +20 17 07.2 16.2 C B82
Object motion is 0.136'/sec at PA 108
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 35723.0 km; offset= 0.01 degrees; motion 0.138'/sec at PA=109
MAID08 C2010 04 07.84556 07 52 06.67 +20 07 31.6 15.8 C B82
Object motion is 0.138'/sec at PA 109
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 35575.2 km; offset= 0.01 degrees; motion 0.139'/sec at PA=109
MAID08 C2010 04 07.84785 07 53 57.77 +19 58 07.8 16.2 C B82
Object motion is 0.140'/sec at PA 109
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 35428.9 km; offset= 0.01 degrees; motion 0.141'/sec at PA=109
MAID08 C2010 04 07.85007 07 55 47.75 +19 48 41.6 16.0 C B82
Object motion is 0.143'/sec at PA 110
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 35280.8 km; offset= 0.02 degrees; motion 0.142'/sec at PA=110
MAID08 C2010 04 07.85407 07 59 03.33 +19 31 20.5 16.1 C B82
Object motion is 0.142'/sec at PA 110
NORAD designation 06797U; international 1973-058B
delta= 34998.7 km; offset= 0.01 degrees; motion 0.145'/sec at PA=110