Annotated List of PREDICTIONS OF Magnetic Conjunctions
From November 1996 to June 2000 Between

FAST and POLAR

And for shorter intervals for FAST and

Akebono
Interball Aurora
Interball Tail
Equator-S

Support for maintenance of this web page was terminated by action of the FAST science working group in June, 2000. W.K. Peterson

Lists of real (not predicted) magnetic conjunctions

OPTICAL or MAGNETIC conjunctions

NOTE The POLAR project maintains a list of times of Exceptional Southern Oval Viewing . Selected times from that list are noted below.

Link to the Polar Image Pointing Plan Page

2000

• Polar Imaging Plan for days 153-167 June 1-15
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 122-152 May 1-31
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 107-121 April 16-30
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 92-106 April 2-15
• Polar Imaging plan for days 61-91 March 2 - April 1
  POLAR and GEOTAIL will be simultaneously skimming the magnetopause from 20 UT, March 26 - 05 UT
• Polar Imaging plan for days 46-60 February 15 - March 1
• Polar Imaging plan for days 32-45 Feburary 1-14
• Polar Imaging plan for days 1-31 January 1-31
  January 4, 10-17 *** midnight - WIND & GEOTAIL in good tail location IMP 8 in solar wind *** ISTP Conjunction ***
1999

• Polar Imaging plan for days 335-365 December 1-31
• Polar Imaging plan for days 305-334 November 1-31
• Polar Imaging plan for days 274-304 October 1-31
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 244-273 September 1-30
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 225-243 August 13-31
  Eclipse and Cassini flyby
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 197-224 July 16 - August 12
  Gap in plans from days 158 to 197
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 121(post flip) 158 May 1 - June 30
  see file for important intervals
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 99-120 April 9-30
  see file for important intervals
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 90-98 April 1-8
  see file for important intervals
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 60-90 March 1-31
  see file for important intervals
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 032-059 February 1-28
  see file for important intervals
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 024-031 January 24-23
  See list for geotail and wind times
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 016-023January 16-23
  See list for geotail and wind times
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 009-015 January 9-15
  GEOTAIL in plasma sheet January 11
  POLAR optical conjucntions most every day
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 002-008 January 2-8
  WIND in plasma sheet January 2
  GEOTAIL in plasma sheet Janrary 5
  Lots of POLAR optical conjunctions.
1998

• Polar imaging plan for days 360-001 December 26-January 1, 1999!
  Lots of POLAR optical Conjunctions
• Polar imaging Plan for days 353-359 December 19-25
  GEOTAIL in good substrom postion 20:00/324 to 01:00/325
  POLAR optical conjunctions most days
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 346-352 December 12-18
  POLAR optical conjunctions on day 346
  GEOTAIL in plasma sheet from 348/1900 to 349/0300
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 339-345 December 5-11
  POLAR optical conjunctions days 340 and 343
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 332-338 Noveber 28 - December 4
  POLAR optical conjunctions Days 332, 334, and 337
  Geotail and Interball in plasma sheet Day 333 0330-1000 UT.
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 325-331 November 21 -27
  POLAR optical conjunctions days 325, 326 328, 329, and 330
  Geotail in plasma sheet Days 327-328
  Geotail/Interball Conjunction interval 328 0-8 UT
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 318-324 November 14-20
  Days 322/323 (17 - 02 UT) Geotail in the plasma sheet
  Day 324 (21-24 UT) IMP8 in the plasma sheet
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 311-317 November 7-13
  Day 312 (6-18 UT) Geotail and IMP8 in plasmasheet Acquire as much data as possible
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 304-310 October 31 - November 6
  Day 307 (9-14 UT) Geotail in plasmasheet Acquire as much data as possible
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 297-303 Ocober 24-30
  Days 297 (0-2UT) and 302 (0-7UT) Geotail in plasmasheet Acquire as much data as possible
  
• Polar flip 10/9-10/11, imagers off
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 283-289 October 10-16.
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 234-240 August 22-28 Revised 8/10/98
  Geotail in mid tail Day 234 08-15
  Polar Optical conjunctions
  Day 237 9:40-10:15 ~1 MLT
  14-14:35 ~0 MLT
  16-16:45 ~0:30 MLT
  Day 240 8:30-9:10 ~1 MLT
  10:40-11:15 ~0:30 MLT
  12:45-13:30 ~0 MLT
  15-15:35 ~0 MLT
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 227-233 August 15-21
  Wind perigee Day 227 17:00 to 228 03:00
  Polar optical conjunctions
  Day 228 11-11:40 ~2 MLT
  12-12:45 ~10 MLT
  13:10-13:45 ~1 MLT
  15:15-16 ~1 MLT
  17:30-18 ~1:30 MLT
  Day 231 9:45-10:30 ~2 MLT
  12-13 ~1 MLT
  13-13:40 ~8 MLT
  14:10-14:45 ~1 MLT
  16:15-17 ~1 MLT
  Day 232 11-11:50 ~10 MLT
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 220-226 August 8-14
  Geotail in tail Day 224 00-08
  Polar optical conjunctions
  Day 220 13:45-14:25 noon/cusp
  DAy 222 12:15-13 noon
  Day 223 12:30-13:15 noon
  Day 225 13:15-14 noon
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 213-219 August 1-7
  Geotail in TAIL TWICE this week Day 213 16:30-Mignight and Day 218/219 18:00 - 04:30
  Polar optical conjunctions
  Day 213 15:45-16:30 noon /cusp
  Day 214 13:50-14:40 noon
  Day 217 12:50-13:30 noon
  Day 219 13:30-14:05 noon
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 206-212 July 25-31
  POLAR optical conjunctions
  Day 208 17:15-18 ~2:30 MLT
  Day 211 14-14:30 ~3 MLT
  15-15:40 noon/cusp
  16-16:40 ~2:30 MLT
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 199-205 July 18-24
  WIND in tail day 205 9-mignight
  Polar optical conjunctions
  Day 199 16:30-17:00
  Day 202 17:30-18:00
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 192-198 July 11 - 17
  Polar Optical Conjunctions
  05:00 05:40 (8 MLT) Day 192
  GEOTAIL in good tail position 19-24 UT day 194 and 0-9 UT on day 200
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 185-191 July 4-10
  Polar Optical Conjunctions
  05:00-05:45 (08 MLT) Day 186
  03:15-03:30 (08 MLT) Day 187
  05:30-06:05 (11 mlt) Day 189
  09:00-09:40 (19 MLT) Day 191
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 178-184 June 27 - July 3
  Polar Optical Conjunctions
  03:50-04:30 (20:30 MLT) day 178
  WIND peigee pass Days 182-184
  Wind in midnight sector 0-12 UT on day 183.
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 171-177 June 20-26
  POLAR optical conjunctions
  9-9:30 (10 MLT) day 171
  18:15-18:55 (midnight region) day 173
  08:4509:20 (9 MLT) day 177
  IMP 8 In tail 0-08:30 on day 175
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 164-170 June 13-19
  POLAR optical conjunctions
  9-9:40 day 165
  7:45-08:30 day 168
  Geotail in magnetotail day 166/22:00 to 167/04:30
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 157-163 June 6 -12
  POLAR optical conjunctions
  8:30 - 9 day 157
  7:15 - 8 day 160
  10:15 - 10:50 day 162
  Geotail in the TAIL 18-23 Ut on day 161
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 150-156May 30 - June 5
  POLAR optical conjunctions: Day 154 (7:10-7:55)
  GEOTAIL in tail day 156 11-18UT 98150 0324-0330 FAST footprint in VIS fov in midnight oval,
  0326 both FAST and POLAR footprints in close proximity
  in VIS fov.
  98150 2110-2117 FAST footprint in VIS fov in midnight oval.
  98152 0840-0847 FAST footprint in VIS fov in midnight oval,
  0845 FAST footprint in UVI fov.
  98153 2031 98153 2104 20mlt/9mlt.
  
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 143-149 May 23-29
  98144 2312 Fast footprint in VIS fov in 18 mlt oval
  98147 0426-0433 Fast footprint in VIS fov in polar cap/midnight oval
  . 98148 1547-1552 FAST footprint in VIS fov in noon cusp,
  --- 1556-1604 FAST footprint in VIS fov in polarcap,
  --- 1556 FAST footprint in UVI fov in polarcap.
  98149 0942-0955 FAST footprint in VIS fov in polarcap,
  --- 0947 FAST footprint in UVI fov.
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 136-142May 16-22
  POLAR Optical conjucntion on day 142 (0740-0815)
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 129-135May 9-15
  POLAR optical conjunctions on day 129 (1840-1920)
• PSI operations (UVI imager sensitivity degraded) May 6-20
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 122-128May 2-8
  Good Geotail position days 125 and 126
  Polar optical conjuntion day 125
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 115-121April 25 May 1
  Good Geotail position Day 120
  Polar optical conjunctions Days 117 and 120
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 108-114April 18-24
  Good Geotail postion Days 109 and 114
  Polar optical conjunctions on days 108 and 111
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 101-107 April 11-17

  Period of 98 101-107 one exceptional FAST conjunction interval
  
  98106 0712-0718 FAST footprint in VIS fov ~3mlt oval,
          0716 FAST footprint in UVI fov ~3mlt oval, oval not sunlite.
  98107 0054-0100 FAST footprint in VIS fov post midnight oval,
          0057 both POLAR and FAST footprints in UVI fov ~22 mlt oval,
          oval not sunlite. *****
  

• Polar Imaging Plan for days 95-100 April 4-10
  POLAR will perform its "flip" on days 99 and 100. The imageers will be off for a few days before and after.
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 87-94 March 28 - April 3
  Polar optical conjunctions on Days 88 and 91 in the cusp region
  NOTEGeotail is in the tail from 00:00 to 10:00 on day 94 (April 3). As many nightside passes should be acquired as possible.
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 80-86March 21-27
  Polar optical conjunctions on days 82 and 85 in the cusp region.
• Polar imaging Plan for days 73-79 March 14 - 20
  POLAR optical conjunctions on days 73 and 74 (see plan)
  NOTE: From 19:00 to 24:00 on day 77 (March 18) Geotail will be in a good position for coordianted observations.
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 66-72 March 7-13
  

  98073 1716-1722 FAST fp in VIS fov in polar/prenoon oval,
        1718- both FAST fp and POLAR fp in VIS fov in polar cap **.
  
  98072 0550-0554 FAST fp in VIS fov in post midnight oval.
  98072 2332-2339 FAST fp in VIS fov in evening oval/polar cap,
        2335 FAST fp in UVI fov in polarcap.
  
  98071 1206-1210 FAST fp in VIS fov in  polcar cap/oval.
        1208 FAST fp in UVI fov in 7mlt oval.
  
  98070 0037-0045 FAST fp in VIS fov in polar cap/oval,
        0040 FAST fp in UVI fov in 22mlt oval.
  98070 1824-1829 FAST fp in VIS fov in polar cap/prenoon oval.
  

• Polar Imaging Plan for days 59-65 February 28 -March 6
  POLAR optical conjunctions on ALL days except 61 (3/2)
• Polar Imagning Plan for days 52-58February 21-27
  POLAR optical conjunctions on ALL but day 58. See plan for specific times.
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 45-51February 14- 20
  POLAR optical conjunctions on ALL days.. see plan for specific times.
  GEOTAIL in plasma sheet early on Day 46!
• Polar Imaging Plan for days 31-44January 31 -Febrary 13
  Polar Optical conjunctions on days 31-35, 37-44, see plan for specific times.
• Polar Imaging Plan for Days 16-30
  Polar optical conjunctions on days 16,17,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29, and 30. See plan for times
• Polar Imaging Plan for Days 2-15, 1998
  Polar optical conjunctions on days 2,3,5,6,8,9,11,12,14 and 15
Prior Imaging Plans

The ascii files of magnetic conjunction times pointed too below were caluclated using NASA supplied SSC software. The size of the magnetic conjunction box is indicated at the head of each file.

NOTE. Orbital predictions for low perigee satellites, such as FAST (350 km) can not take into account the significant and variable drag forces caused by ionospheric heating associated with geomagnetic activity. The magnitude of the problem has been illustrated by Sardi Parthasarathy of the NSSDC.

POLAR conjunctions

Yeh-Kai Tung (U.C. Berekely) maintains a page that identifies the most promising predicted POLAR/FAST conjunctions. Last Updated in Late 1997.