FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] SuitSat sighting

[Joe Orman <joe.orman@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

      This evening (Fri Feb 24), from my backyard in the East Valley, I saw 
SuitSat with binoculars as it passed below Cassiopeia in the NW.  I'd estimate 
between 4th and 5th magnitude, based on background stars.  I was looking pretty 
much through the Phoenix light dome -- would need much darker skies to see it 
with the naked eye.  Luckily I was looking through the binoculars ahead of 
time, because the pass was about 2 minutes earlier than the prediction I had 
downloaded from heavens-above.com this morning.  I followed it with the 
binoculars until it disappeared in the Earth's shadow below Polaris.
   
  SuitSat info:
  http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/26jan_suitsat.htm
   
  Sunday evening (Feb 26) SuitSat will make another pass visible from Arizona.  
If you want to see it yourself, here are some directions I copied from another 
mailing list.
   
  --Joe Orman
   
  > Go to the Heavens-above.com site.
> On the home page under Satellites, press the Select a satellite from the 
> database.
> On the Select a Satellite page that you are now on, type in SUITSAT in the 
> box that says Satellite Name then hit submit.
>
> You should be on the Satellite Search Results page now.
> Click on the Suitsat (written in blue) in Earth Orbit.
>
> After being directed to the SUITSAT- Information page,
> click on Passes which appears above the Earth on the right side of the 
> page.
>
> This will show a page of dates and times for the passes.
> If you click on the dates in blue, a detailed pass chart will come up 
> next.





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