Re: Shenzhou 5 and shadow.

"Gordon Millar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Hi to all :-))
>
> Please can someone enlighten me as to what the smaller and less brighter
> object was that followed Shenzhou 5 as it passed over Wellington New
Zealand
> at 9:45pm on the night of the 15th Oct. It was a reasonable distance
behind,
> but seemed to be traveling at the same speed.

The 2nd stage of the rocket that launched Shenzhou 5 passed almost directly
overhead at 07:47:39 UTC. This was several minutes prior to the spacecraft's
manoeuvre to circularize its orbit, so I expect it to have been trailing not
far behind the rocket, along nearly an identical path.

The rocket is twice the length of the spacecraft, and wider, so typically it
is 1 to 2 magnitudes brighter. Also, it was rotating, causing it to vary in
brightness over a period of 10 to 15 seconds. The spacecraft would have been
comparatively steady in brightness.

Does this match what you observed?

Do you recall, or can you estimate, the number of seconds by which the
second object trailed the first object?

Ted Molczan