An interesting observation

On February 6, I got a chance to go out and perform some astronomical observations and imaging. It is unusual in New Hampshire to have winter nights that have clear skies, mild temperatures (above 20F), and light winds. The night was eventful in that I managed to locate some Herschel objects with my 10-inch and image several deep sky objects. I also got to test out my new Sony A7 camera. As the evening wore on, I began to pack up much of my gear as I finished using it. At 2204 EST, I was waiting for the last few images of the Gull Nebula to finish and enjoying the night sky when I noticed something peculiar in the constellation of Taurus. There was a “new” star above the Hyades. It was not very bright. As I watched, it faded. I was intrigued at this point and kept watching the location. As expected, it reappeared again. I watched some more and it came and went two more times before I decided to start making some careful observations. I timed it and discovered it was going through a 12 second cycle. It also was drifting very slowly southward. At this point, I figured this was some sort of very high altitude satellite. It is the only thing that could explain it being visible so long after sunset. The next thing I wanted to do was to write down what I had observed and make a quick sketch. As I began to record the observation, I thought it might be worth it to get my camera out and record it. However, I looked up again and noticed that it had disappeared. It was no longer visible to the naked eye meaning it would be unlikely I could record it with my camera. After double checking my notes, I put them away and proceeded with what I was doing prior to this.

The next day, I contacted Ted Molczan with my observation. He quickly responded and, based on my observations, felt I had seen the Meridian 3 satellite, which was no longer functioning and in a Molniya orbit. Thanking Ted, I quickly checked Heaven’s Above and confirmed his evaluation. According to Ted, the satellite was about 18,000 km away. Heaven’s Above states that it was supposed to be only eighth magnitude. Yet, this was magnitude +3 to +4. I suspect this was tumbling and reflecting the sun just the correct way as to become visible. What this demonstrates is that satellites that are not supposed to be visible can become visible under the right conditions. During my Blue Book evaluations, I often reject satellites that were listed as being below naked eye visibility. Maybe I should reconsider this rule. Another thing, this observation demonstrates is what I have been saying for years. Amateur astronomers do see strange events in the night sky and will document them. However, I continue to wonder why they never see large bright objects, that look like spaceships, hovering in the sky. 

Quelle: SUNlite 2/2021