1973-058B  (Atlas Centaur R/B)


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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.

P/2010 A2 (LINEAR) � by Bernhard Haeusler, Germany

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 73058B � by B82 Bernhard Haeusler, Germany

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

Atlas Centaur R/B 73058B � by B82 Bernhard Haeusler, Germany

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    


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Copyright: The author of NEO Planner and all sites of this web is Bernhard Haeusler, Dettelbach, Germany, all rights reserved