ISS Overhead

[DigitalScape]

Last night the ISS was passing over head (pretty much directly overhead). I had seen an article that the people in the Houston-Galveston area would get to see the ISS as it crossed in front of the moon. I hoped that I would get that opportunity too (it turned out that the celestial alignment was not going to work for for my area). So I go my camera set up with the 100-400mm lens with the 2X extender, and tried to catch the ISS as it passed by. Try to handhold and point a camera lens cranked out to about 800mm at an object that is traveling at about ~18,000 MPH and 200 some odd miles away.
I took one shot. In Photoshop I did cropping and enlargements (~550% and 800%) and was pleased with the results. 1/250 second, f/11, 750mm, ISO800, handheld, manual focus.

800% Enlargement


~550% Enlargement

[auddii]

It's blurry

I'm amazed at how much detail you can actually see! I just expected it to look more blobby, but you can see some of the individual modules (or at least clusters of the different modules).

Very neat, thanks for sharing!

[Jim Boyd]

John,

Nice shot.

How did recognize it in the sky? Is it that visible?

[DigitalScape]

Thank you Audrey and Jim.

Jim, The ISS is fairly visible/bright in the sky - like one of the brightest stars/planets. But tell-tale sign is that it moves across the sky pretty fast. I was able to see it for about 2 minutes (most of that was spent trying to see it in the view finder).

[DigitalScape]

A combination of two images - the scaling is different between the two images.

[groovyone]

Wow, nice grab!! Yeah, that thing is moving at 17,500MPH and is usually not up that long. At its longest pass it is maybe 5 minutes in the entire sky.

The ISS is the second birghtest object in the night sky, the first being the moon.

[Chief]

You Did Great !!!
I've been trying to capture the ISS for over a year. I have had the oportunity to talk to them a couple of times on the radio..

Again Great Shot

Gordon

[roncd]

There is another 6 minute pass tomorrow evening, and the mornings of 1/13 and 1/15.

Pinpoint for your area:
Human Space Flight (HSF) - Sightings

[iCe]

I was going to ask if you could make it come back but looks like it's going to anyway.

That's pretty cool!

[ifly223]

Thats something Garrets gonna wanna try with his wifes new telescope. If memory serves me there is astronomy tracking software that allows you to see certain things in orbit relative to where you are on earth at a given time of day. All he would have to do is input the data into his (oops, wifes scope) and it will go right to it.

[N_Addy]

Here's a great site for finding the ISS and other satellites.

Heavens-Above Home Page

[Stargazer77517]

Dang, thats pretty cool.

[lhdvies]

Good work John!! very cool!!

Leon