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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 3122      2015 Nov 10 17.05UT
Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise,  Basingstoke,
Hants, RG22 4PP,England.Telephone/FAX(01256)471074Int:+441256471074
INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK      Backup: gmh@wdcc1.bnsc.rl.ac.uk
WORLD WIDE WEB                         http://www.theastronomer.org
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EARTH IMPACT OF (PROBABLY ARTIFICIAL) WT1190F ON 2015 NOV 13 
Mark Kidger:
An object discovered on 2015 October 3 by the Catalina Sky Survey and
designated WT1190F was found to be orbiting Earth every 21 days in a very
unusual and elongated orbit (eccentricity 0.96) taking it to within one
Earth radius of the surface of the Earth at perigee but 1.65 Lunar Distances
at apogee. 

At a suggestion by Peter Birtwhistle, Bill Gray linked it to an unidentified
object picked up in October 2009 (9U01FF6) and then to an object discovered
in February 2013 (UDA34A3), later linked to another discovery in November
later the same year (UW8551D). The object was described in TA in Oct, Nov
and Dec 2009 (e.g. TA Vol 46 No 548 p211 (2009)). Further details of orbit
linkage will be given in the November TA.

Bill Gray calculated that it will impact the Earth on 
2015 November 13! Subsequent astrometry confirmed this, impact is currently
predicted at a point about 40-50 miles south of Sri Lanka at 06:19 UT on
2015 Nov 13. (around noon local time). WT1190F is apparently of very low
density and is fully expected to be some part of an artificial object,
probably hollow and 1-2 metres in size. An ESA team is planning to observe
it from an aircraft over the Indian Ocean and that may prove conclusively
that it is a man-made object. At present, WT1190F has still not been
positively identified with a known rocket.

Guy M Hurst