Earlier this evening I made my second attempt to photograph the ISS through my telescope. And I was lucky enough to grab a few frames of the space station as it passed overhead. It was at maximum altitude (74°) at 6:15pm EST time. At that point the ISS was about 360km away from my position.
My images came out a bit over exposed. I'm not too worried though as this is only my first set of images I have captured. I was worried the station would be too dim so I didn't set the exposure down. I'll remember to fix that for the next pass.
I used my 10 f5 Newtonian on my dobsonian base and hand tracked the space station by keeping it in the center of my 8x50 finder-scope. I really need to get a telrad or a right angle finder because my back didn't like the position you have to be in - especially when the station crossed the zenith. To capture I used my panasonic video camera afocally held to my 26mm eyepiece with about 5X optical zoom. The magnification was about 250X.
Does anyone have any tips or hints for the next pass? I'm looking forward to giving it another go. Unfortunately I have to wait until September 3rd for another good pass. Also, does anyone know of anywhere I can find a computer model of the ISS that I can twist/rotate so I can identify the different modules/compartments of the station?
You're kidding right. You took those hand tracking through a finderscope with a 10" Dob and an afocal video camera. That is unbelievable Chris. I'm serious, that is a truely stunning achievement to get that sort of detail. I think I'll just retire all my gear now and buy myself a wheelchair.
You've proved me right! I always thought a dob would be a good low tech way to go to either view or image the ISS, I just don't have the dob to prove it. Good on you!
Get a good right angle finder scope - say an 8x50 or so - and you'll be away!
Well I've been quite bored for the rest of the night (seeing as I'm currently in my uni break so I have no assignments or study to do) so I decided to throw together an animation of part of the ISS pass (seeing as most other ISS imagers tend to present their images in an animated format). Unfortunately, the only part of the pass I was able to film for long enough to make an animation out of was just before the station entered the Earths shadow where its distance was 542km away from me. So the animation is very shabby!
I also decided to throw the frames from that animation into registax to see what I could pull out. I've attached my results too. They don't really seem any better than just the raw frames I attached earlier.
And I have a question: in the frames just before the ISS disappeared into the Earth's shadow, the station developed a reddish hue (as seen in the images attached to this post). Did this happen for the same reason why the moon turns red during a lunar eclipse?
I'm also on the Sunshine Coast Chris and I saw that pass tonight (and it was a GREAT pass too I might add!) but from my location at Caloundra most of this pass had the ISS behind a very thin but noticable cloud haze, such that the ISS was always visible naked eye, but stuff all other stars were visible through it (none, actually, if I remember rightly).
I don't know what it was like at your place but if those images were taken through the haze as well .....
PS: Try a right angle finder instead, that may have made your amazing achievment even MORE amazing, or at least more comfortable! I can lend you one if you want to try it next time, let me know.
And I have a question: in the frames just before the ISS disappeared into the Earth's shadow, the station developed a reddish hue (as seen in the images attached to this post). Did this happen for the same reason why the moon turns red during a lunar eclipse?
That is a superb effort. I've often considered giving the ISS a go. Your results have inspired me to get my act together and give it a go. Fantastic results once again!
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You took those hand tracking through a finderscope with a 10" Dob and an afocal video camera. 
That is unbelievable Chris. I'm serious, that is a truely stunning achievement to get that sort of detail. 
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