LCROSS en route |
LCROSS en route |
Jul 15 2009, 03:08 PM
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#1
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 87 Joined: 9-November 07 Member No.: 3958 |
While we're waiting for Those Pictures, here are a couple of shots of LCROSS from our campus observatory last night (0221, 027 UT on 15 July). 4 minute exposures tracking expected motion from the Horizons ephemeris, within 20 degrees of the southern horizon and fighting summertime haze as well as city lights. I wanted to catch it before its inclined orbit takes it too far south, after which it spends a week or so as a predawn object. The range was about 563,000 km, and the Centaur is no bigger than a CSM/LM combination, so this is a more difficult target than spotting an Apollo enroute was. (On the other hand, nobody had CCD imagers in 1969).
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Oct 6 2009, 03:06 AM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 808 Joined: 10-October 06 From: Maynard Mass USA Member No.: 1241 |
impact is Oct 9, 7:30am-ish local time with the sun up here in Boston....don't think I going to see anything (sun rises at 6:50am).
West Coast Amateurs : you are our only hope! The LCROSS Centaur impact is scheduled for 4:31 a.m. PDT or 7:31 a.m. EDT (11:31 UTC) on October 9, 2009. The sheparding spacecraft will impact at 4:35 a.m. PDT or 7:35 a.m. EDT (11:35 UTC). Mission scientists estimate that the Centaur impact debris plume should be in view several seconds after Centaur impact and will peak in brightness at 30 to 100 seconds after impact. Lunar Impact Locations Centaur: -84.675, 311.275 E Shepherding spacecraft: -84.729, 310.64 E Time Zone Lighting Conditions for Viewing Eastern Daybreak will prevent viewing of the debris plumes. Central Best viewing is West of the Mississippi River. Mountain Excellent lighting conditions. Pacific Excellent lighting conditions. Alaska Excellent lighting conditions. Hawaii Excellent lighting conditions. cheers -------------------- CLA CLL
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