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Posted by: ElkGroveDan Jan 14 2006, 08:17 PM

As noted on the http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=1456&st=45&p=36034&#entry36034 thread I'll be taking a short drive to observe re-entry tonight. (2 am California time).

I have agreed to share my images and observations with some folks who are studying the event from various locations. They have even created some nifty http://dgilbert3.home.mindspring.com/stardust.htm that predict the exact path as it blazes overhead.

My problem is that I never have been an observational astronomy type. Can someone help me undertand these charts and what I will be looking at? I know the elevation is going to be roughly 45 degrees but what exact azimuth does that trail begin at? (NNW?) What constellation is it in or near?(I really only know the major constellations).

Thanks everyone for your assistance with my "stellar" ignorance

Posted by: djellison Jan 14 2006, 08:21 PM

Look at that, it will start NNW, above Casiopia (marked CAS a big W shape on its side ), and finish off in the East, having past 'below' the 'top' of the handle of Ursa Major.

Your best bet is to star by looking NNW - but continually scan both left to right, and up and down, as these things sometimes throw a suprise at you

Doug

Posted by: Bob Shaw Jan 14 2006, 11:02 PM

I think, if you see it at all, you'll have little doubt - the brightness predictions are well into minus magnitudes!

Good luck!

Bob Shaw

Posted by: ElkGroveDan Jan 15 2006, 12:35 AM

Thanks. I'll try and get something up here tomorrow for you all. It might take me a couple of days to get the digital video in a downloadable format. Hopefully it will have an audio capture of the sonic boom. I also plan on leaping around from tripod to tripod pushing buttons on various still cameras too.

Posted by: ljk4-1 Jan 15 2006, 12:49 AM

LAUNCH ALERT

Brian Webb

Ventura County, California

E-mail: kd6nrp@earthlink.net

Web Site: http://www.spacearchive.info

2006 January 14 (Saturday) 07:01 PST
----------------------------------------------------------------------

MORE ON STARDUST

In my last Launch Alert I stated the Stardust reentry bright is
expected to be visible over portions of California, Nevada, Oregon,
and Idaho.

Reader Randall C. replied "It'll also be visible in Utah, of course.
With an ideal horizon, it would also be visible in most of Washington,
the southwest half of Montana, the western 2/3 of Wyoming, the western
1/3 of Colorado, the northwest tip of New Mexico, and the northwest
2/3 of Arizona."

Randall may be correct. However, a co-worker and I made a cursory
examination of the information posted on the Internet and it appears
that the brightness of the reentry drops off quickly the farther
away you are from the groundtrack.

In other words it is expected to be roughly as bright as Venus if you
are directly below the craft at the time of maximum heating, but may
only be visible in binoculars if you're a few hundred miles north or
south of the track.

Space analyst Ted Molczan has created an Excel spreadsheet that
computes Stardust re-entry azimuth, elevation, and other data for a
given site (latitude, longitude, and elevation). The spreadsheet is
available at:

http://satobs.org/seesat_ref/stardust/Stardust_look_angles.zip

According to Molczan, all you need to do is download the spreadsheet
and enter your site data in the cells with the red colored font.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright © 2006 Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
be distributed in its entirety without restriction. Excerpts may be
not be reprinted or posted elsewhere without prior permission.

_______________________________________________

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Posted by: Bill Harris Jan 15 2006, 01:07 AM

EGD, I tried to find you another "all-sky" seasonal chart to orient yourself with, but no luck.

However, this will be a piece of cake. Face north. Polaris, The North Star is left of center in your chart, labeled "alpha UMi". Down, and to the left of that, is the constellation Cassiopeia, which looks like the letter W. You'll see the Big Dipper in the upper right, just opposite Polaris from Cassiopeia. Go up from Cassiopeia and you'll see a pentagon of stars, that is Auriga, and it contains the brigh yellow star, Capella. Your chart shows the Stardust re-entry starting between Cassiopeia and Auriga. That ought to be in the NNW. It will go across the northern quadrant of the sky, and pass below a bright orange star in the NW, named Arcturus. Get to your location and make sure that you have a clear view from Cassiopeia to Arcturus.

Good luck!

--Bill