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(meteorobs) N.E.A.R. spacecraft once in a lifetime show

I received the following from Dennis Mammana...just passing it along.
George Zay
---------------

FROM:   DENNIS MAMMANA, RESIDENT ASTRONOMER
        REUBEN H. FLEET SPACE THEATER
        619-238-1233, EXT. 810


                      ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME SKYSHOW:
          N.E.A.R. SPACECRAFT TO SHINE BRIGHTLY THURSDAY NIGHT

     On Thursday night, January 22, if the weather cooperates, Southern 
California skywatchers will see the first-ever naked-eye appearance of an 
interplanetary spacecraft.
     On that night, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) satellite 
will swing by Earth primarily to change its orbital plane to match that of 
the asteroid 433 Eros, NEAR's next target for an early 1999 rendezvous.  As 
NEAR swings past our planet, its nearly 100 square feet of solar panels 
will be rotated to reflect sunlight to several regions of the U.S., 
providing us a unique opportunity to see the first-ever interplanetary 
spacecraft with the naked eye-if there is no cloud cover.
     Although NEAR will be about 9000 miles above the North Pacific Ocean 
at the time of visibility, it is expected to shine as brightly as Capella, 
one of the brightest stars in the sky.  NEAR will be visible from Southern 
California around 10:40 p.m., about an hour before its closest approach to 
earth (300 miles above the Middle East).

                            WATCHING THE EVENT?
     To see the event, go outdoors a few minutes early and look up toward 
the northwestern sky.  The bright star Capella will appear about two-thirds 
of the way up from the northwestern horizon to the zenith.  To find the 
constellation Perseus, hold your hand at arm's length and stretch out your 
fingers, putting the end of your little finger at Capella.  The tip of your 
thumb, pointing straight down from Capella, will mark the approximate 
location where the sunglint will appear.   (See attached file for 
illustration)
     From Southern California, the glint should appear slightly before 
10:40 p.m. PST.  From central California, it should appear around 10:43 
p.m.  Watch this region for a few minutes before the posted time, and you 
should catch a glimpse of the sunglint for about 30 seconds.  It should 
shine about as brightly as Capella.

                       RECORDING THE EVENT ON FILM?
     Besides providing a unique visual display, this historic sunglint 
should also be a great photo opportunity.  All you need is a camera with 
time-exposure capability, a normal (50mm) lens, a tripod, a cable release, 
and some fast color film (ISO 400 or faster).  Open your lens all the way, 
aim the camera toward Perseus, and a few minutes before the scheduled 
glint, trip the shutter.   After the glint, close the lens.  When your film 
is processed, you'll see the stars appearing as streaks ("star trails") 
caused by the rotation of the Earth, while the glint should appear as a 
bright point in Perseus.  For best result, set up your camera in a dark-sky 
location (mountains or deserts) and exposure for 15-30 minutes or so.


To learn more about this event, the spacecraft and its mission, sky maps or 
its visibilities from elsewhere in the U.S., check out the following 
websites:

http://sd-www.jhuapldot edu/NEAR/
http://www.jhuapldot edu/public/pr/swing.htm
http://www.skydot net/~robinson/iotandx.htm
http://www.anomalies.com/iota/splash.htm

Also, check out the Reuben Fleet Space Theater's web page at:
http://www.rhfleet.org


Based on data from David Dunham of IOTA (International Occultation Timing 
Association)
Rev. 01/20/98 11:22 AM