Re: Project Starshine

[Tom Ford <tomford@THESCIENCESOURCE.COM>]

At 12:36 PM 9/7/99 -0400, you wrote:
> Has anyone had any luck viewing the starshine satellite? This is described
> as a student-tracked atmospheric satellite.

The point of the exercise in posting this was to call attention to this
particular satellite which should have some appeal to students and their
teachers because the mirrors that populate its  surface were ground and
polished by students around the world. there are some closeup color photos
of the steps in the process at:

http://www.azinet.com/starshine/polish.htm

Just bigger than a medicine ball, the device is dragging in the atmosphere,
and there are periodic reports of its altitude. Students are invited to
share their careful observations against the published star field.

> lifetime estimated at 6 - 13 months, and seems a natural now that classes
> are back in session. You can start here:
>
> http://www.azinet.com/starshine/

Yes, some have pointed out that the following is the German site that is a
starshine partner as well as providing other services. The URL below takes
you right to the place where you identify your location. There is only one
Waldoboro in the USA, but if you are from Bethel, you will be surprised how
many Bethels there are --- sometimes several in the same state --- and you
get a chance to make sure you have picked the right one by checking your
"neighborhood" communities.

> and then print out star charts centered on you own location:
>
> http://www2.gsoc.dlr.de/scripts/satvis/countries.asp
>
> Midcoast Maine has a lot of foggy nights, but I'm still trying. It is not
> visible every night in every location, but a ten day forcast lets you know
> when to try. The GSOC/DLR site will also allow you to account for MIR's
> last days.

I appreciate Leigh's suggestion to use "Starry Night," because that will
work in the fog -- and should make for good practice.

Tom Ford