SATELLITES SIGHTED

Press, Volume C, Issue 29555, 3 July 1961, Page 13

SATELLITES SIGHTED

Three In Skv Last Night Three satellites were seen simultaneously at 632 p.m. in Christchurch yesterday. Mr C. S. L. Keay, of the "hysics department of the University of Canterbury, said that he |iad seen two. but there were reports of ■three visible. Echo I rose ■bout 626 p.m. in the west-north-west and travelled across the sky to the east At 6.31 pun., as it was climbing in the north-western sky. it was passed by a fairly bright fast-moving satellite heading towards the south-south-east. This second satellite went high across the south-western sky and disappeared into the earth’s shadow at 6.324 p.m. “From the direction of travel, it would seem to be the Russian Sputnik IV, i which is the only Russian satellite still in orbit,” Mr (Keay said. I “The third satellite, faint. : but moving very fast I travelled from north to ■south at the same time. It would have been an American polar orbit satellite. (Samos, or one of the DisIcoverers. It is not the Midas (satellite which I thought posI sible last week when it api peared,” he said. “The polar :satellite was the one seen i passing Echo I last Thursday i evening.” 1 Mr Keay said that on the basis of the two sightings three days apart it was possible to estimate the third . satellite would most likely I reappear today at either 6.3 1 p.m., 6.35 pm., or 7.6 p.m. The Russian Sputnik IV would probably appear between sunset and about 7.15 pm. Echo I would be visible between 5.50 p.m. and 6.5 p.m. and again from 7.48 pm. to p.m. “As tonight promises to be Clear, I would be pleased to hear from anyone seeing either the American polar satellite or the Russian satellite,” said Mr Keay.