UARS Satellite Possible Fireball 23RD

Iancar29 · 22-09-2011 1:49pm #1

I know this is also on the astronomy forum but i wanted to get as many people looking up at the sky 2moro for some "space weather " possibibly heading our way. MODs decide what you seem fit .

NASA has issued an update on the condition of the decaying UARS satellite: "As of 1:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 21, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 120 mi by 130 mi (190 km by 205 km). Re-entry is expected sometime during the afternoon of Sept. 23, Eastern Daylight Time. The satellite will not be passing over North America during that time period. It is still too early to predict the time and location of re-entry with any more certainty, but predictions will become more refined in the next 24 to 48 hours." Check the Simple Satellite Tracker for last-chance sighting opportunities.

So if anyone has any time-lapse or recording equipment , wouldnt be a bad idea to try record a large portion of the sky as possible from tomorrow. Its not so often we get a Fireball forecasted for an area in which we could see it.

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Ps : If it happens right over ireland 2moro when im in work between 5-9........I will be one UN HAPPY CAMPER!

Mountainsandh · 22-09-2011 11:05pm

That's really exciting and thanks, could you keep us updated please ? don't get a chance to go online at all at work and I find these satellite tracking sites a bit tedious to figure out to be honest.
Any chance it might be night here by the time it flies/bursts by ?

gbee · 22-09-2011 11:07pm

Mountainsandh wrote: »

Any chance it might be night here by the time it flies/bursts by ?

TMK, at this time [which can change] it's 2.00 ~ 2.30AM

Pangea · 22-09-2011 11:36pm

When is it expected to fall exactly?
Heard some people mentioning tonight and some tomorrow.

fizzycyst · 22-09-2011 11:39pm

On the 9 o'clock news they said it would be tonight, but if there is any remnants left, there could also be the possibility of a fireball tomorrow on the next orbit. Unfortunately, it's a bit late for me,good luck to anyone sky watching

Pangea · 22-09-2011 11:56pm

Just showed on bbc news a map of all the satellites surrounding the earth in space, its amazing and quite frightening what is surrounding us.
It said late tomorrow evening it will fall and they will only know 2 hours before where it will fall.

Davaeo09 · 22-09-2011 11:58pm

Just wondering if anyone could tell me if this will be visable tonight? if so would I be right in saying between 2.30-3.30?

Spread · 23-09-2011 12:00am

Just saw the news here and they said somewhere hear the coast of Chile. That gives them a decent margin of error.

Captain Chaos · 23-09-2011 12:01am

Davaeo09 wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone could tell me if this will be visable tonight? if so would I be right in saying between 2.30-3.30?

http://heavens-above.com/orbit.aspx?satid=21701&lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=CET

Over the Northern part of the country tonight, don't know what time.

muckish · 23-09-2011 12:03am

Pangea wrote: »

Just showed on bbc news a map of all the satellites surrounding the earth in space, its amazing and quite frightening what is surrounding us.
It said late tomorrow evening it will fall and they will only know 2 hours before where it will fall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydbbd-4oEds

muckish · 23-09-2011 12:07am

This from spaceweather.com

Captain Chaos · 23-09-2011 12:10am

Real time tracking on heavens above says it's making a pass just North of the country in about 5 mins.

vonbarracuda · 23-09-2011 8:33am

Did it fall ? Nasa said if you find any of it to contact your local law enforcement agency

Iancar29 · 23-09-2011 1:27pm

I'll be seriously sad if this falls in full view for Ireland while im in work!!!

Nasa arent great at giving regular updates now are they?

Mr Benevolent · 23-09-2011 2:24pm

It's very unlikely to fall near Ireland. We're a very small target.

lolie · 23-09-2011 3:21pm

Confab wrote: »

It's very unlikely to fall near Ireland. We're a very small target.

Not that unlikely either. Nasa now rekon it'll probably come down after midnight and its due to pass over Ireland at 11.33 and 1.03 tonight so here's hoping. Forecast is for rain spreading across this evening to clear later

maquiladora · 23-09-2011 4:58pm

UPDATE 4:30pm Friday: Solar wind is no longer the main influence on the orbital decay of UARS. As a result, the satellite's descent has slowed down. Re-entry is now expected to take place in the early morning of Saturday.

http://www.astronomy.ie/uars.php

You can follow it here, just refresh it every minute or so to get an idea of how fast it's moving.

http://www.heavens-above.com/orbit.aspx?satid=21701

gbee · 23-09-2011 6:10pm

looking like a miss now what. :pac:

Mountainsandh · 23-09-2011 7:17pm

The cloud cover is such here (Co Waterford) right now that there won't be a star to be seen any time soon anyway... so the delay might be good news.

maquiladora · 23-09-2011 7:19pm

141_Oscar_Mike wrote: »

According to RTE its due to track over Ireland around 2:30 tomorrow morning.

That does fit neatly within the latest estimated re-entry window, 00:00 - 04:00, so re-entry over Ireland is possible.

Have to remember though, it is moving very fast and Ireland is a very small place on a global scale. Only a slim chance it will impact us, IMHO, but worth watching since its still possible.

eskimocat · 24-09-2011 12:42am

Have spent the last little while watching it

It will be interesting over the next few hours...

Fingers crossed for a Leitrim landing lol

Mountainsandh · 24-09-2011 12:53am

Well I have followed it too and thanks to those who posted links here and in Astronomy, but have to go to bed now. I promise to post pics as soon as I locate my bit on my land tomorrow morning

I want a nice cylinder to make a quirky titanium glass top coffee table

Pangea · 24-09-2011 1:09am

http://www.astronomy.ie/uars.php
Taken from the above link

"As you can see, the flight path carries UARS on a path from west to east.

While the chance of human casualties are extremely low (1 in 3200), if the satellite reenters over Ireland at these times, observers will be able to see extremely bright meteor-like objects blazing through the sky."

Just had a look outside, I can see lots of stars tonight so hopefully Ill see something at half 2.

Wertz · 24-09-2011 1:35am

NASA saying 300-700 UTZ is expected re-entry time following a change in orientation of the satellite according to BBC WS report...fair chance of a land strike if it happens in the first hour of that window.
Still cloudy here...dunno if I'm arsed to stay up for another hour to look south on the chance it clears up...

eskimocat · 24-09-2011 1:37am

I think i will stay up too... its not too often we get this kinda opportunity...

When observing earlier I did see 3 shooting stars

and yup made wishes on them all !!!

Must see too if i can get camera working, but unless it really lights the sky (unlikely) i guess i will just have pics of blackness...:(

Pangea · 24-09-2011 1:52am

Wertz wrote: »

NASA saying 300-700 UTZ is expected re-entry time.

Whats UTZ?

eskimocat · 24-09-2011 2:16am

Had a look and can't find that time zone. Any chance it was UZT, Uzbekistan Time Asia UTC + 5 hours??

Right heading outside again for a gawk....

Trogdor · 24-09-2011 2:23am

Pangea wrote: »

Whats UTZ?

Not sure what UTZ is but "Re-entry is expected between 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, and 3 a.m., Sept. 24, Eastern Daylight Time (3 a.m. to 7 a.m. GMT)."
http://www.nasa.gov/rss/uars_update.xml

So i assume it's essentially GMT

sdanseo · 24-09-2011 2:26am

UTZ is a typo for UTC, I'd say. UTC means Universal Time Co-Ordinated, and is the same as GMT, i.e. one hour behind us during summer (when we operate on IST/BST, GMT+1) and the same time as us during winter.

Gonna head out and have a look in a minute and see if there's anything to be seen!

eskimocat · 24-09-2011 2:28am

Well it was a quick gawk... cause its now raining and cloudy. I can only see a very faint light off it but its too miserable to be outside now...

esp at this hour of night.... sigh....

Ah well... night ya all.... catch a fallen star and put it in your pocket, or perhaps catch a falling satellite and put it in your garden, after notifying the local law enforcement.. of course...;)

clumhoho · 24-09-2011 2:35am

Spent the last hour watching the skys. Plenty of shooting stars but thats it really. Perfectly clear night for it here in westmeath. Keep us posted if its sighted. Wouldnt want to miss it

UARS Satellite Possible Fireball 23RD

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