(meteorobs) Mystery Cloud Identified!

[Richard Taibi]

I saw the "cloud" too, last night, for about 15 minutes, 00:50-2:05 UT, on 
9/1/2004.  Due to my location south of Canada, I saw it first about 20 
degrees south of Arcturus.  During 15 minutes, the cloud diffused, became 
fainter and drifted to the east.  At first I thought I had missed a 
fireball, but the thought crossed my mind that it could have an aerospace 
origin.  The thought was that it resembled a chemical solution dump made a 
few years ago, I think to study its diffusion, or perhaps upper atmosphere 
winds.  Very interesting to see!   Rich


>From: Skywayinc at aol.com
>Reply-To: Global Meteor Observing Forum <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
>To: undisclosed-recipients:;
>Subject: (meteorobs) Mystery Cloud Identified!
>Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 01:03:52 EDT
>
>     The cloud-like object that was observed on Tuesday evening at around 
>9:00
>p.m. EDT has now been identified:
>
>     This was a fuel dump of the centaur stage involved in the NRO-1 launch
>from Cape Canaveral earlier in the day. It is the usual practice for all 
>Centaur
>assisted launches. It happens after spacecraft separation of course. It was
>observed and reported by several observers of the Seesat l mailing list; it 
>was
>the fuel bleeding off from a Centaur upper rocket stage on its second orbit
>after launch. Being just after nightfall, the cloud of fuel was still 
>sunlit at
>that altitude.  Those in the eastern half of the country who were
>fortuitously outside when the dump occurred, saw this unusual sight.
>
>-- joe rao
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