ISS Moon Transit

[CalvinKlein]

I haven't been able to post here for a while due to web-browser plug-in incompatibilities with the IIS website. All sorted now.

Here's a couple of images I've taken this week of the IIS.

The moon transit was taken just after sunrise with my Canon 70D in video mode, Sigma 50-500mm & 2 x extender mounted on my Star Adventurer. 60 frames were then combined to make this composite image.

The closeup was taken using manual tracking yesterday morning with a GSO 10" F4 Newtonian, ASI183MC Pro and Televue Powermate 4x (not mounted on my Star Adventurer)

I've just bought a Powermate 2x and am keen to see if I can improve the quality of the close-up images at the expense of resolution.

I've never collimated the OTA since I bought it (used) either - when I figure out how I'll be interested to see if it sharpens the image much.

[ChrisV]

That's no beginner effort!!
Very nice

[CalvinKlein]

Thanks Chris :) I sure feel like a beginner when I'm taking the photos - lots of mistakes made - and its only my 3rd ISS-moon transit attempt. And that blasted big 44 gallon drum with mirrors ? - I'm really just fumbling about with that. I've got no idea if its collimated or not (being an F4 from what I have read, most likely its not). Dusty mirror, minimal cooldown. Soooooo much to learn and put into practice.

[RyanJones]

Awesome work Kelvin ! Well done.

I think the coolest thing about these images is that you're taking photos of something man made that is in space. It's a real reminder of what the human race has achieved. Very cool !

[CalvinKlein]

Thanks very much Ryan - and not to mention there are 6 human beings on that man-made object right at the moment !

And it's not like they can bail out if anything goes wrong and parachute back to earth.

[Saturnine]

Nice images Kelvin, always good fun trying to get transit shots, getting all the variables to gell, location, clouds etc.
Hoping to catch one in the early morning.

[assbutt94]

Congratulations on the shots!
Everything lined up, and you got it!

How exactly did you get the closeup of the ISS? Did you position over the travel path and take a capture without tracking using a fast shutter speed as the ISS crossed the FOV?
In any case, very nice captures!

[xelasnave]

Beginner or not you have produced a wonderful image. You should be proud.
Alex

[Suzy]

That's really good!
I have a 10" scope too, it's so hard to manually tracking the ISS. I occasionally have a go if I want to guarantee myself blood, sweat, tears and a thumping heart rate :lol:.
Well done Kelvin.

[raymo]

At my age I'd have to be a Lunartic to attempt it. Great job.
raymo

[LostInSp_ce]

Great snap!!! :thumbsup:

[CalvinKlein]

assbutt94 - I pre-align the centre of my illuminated right-angle-finder exactly with the centre of the telescope (that in itself is difficult at 4000mm focal length). I focus the OTA on a star and wait until the ISS is starting to make its pass and is visible. With the clutches released on the EQ mount (and the mount suitably "polar aligned" parallel to the ISS's path, I aim my finder at the ISS and try to keep it as close as possible in the finder cross-hairs whilst tracking it across the sky. The large sensor size / lots of megapixels of the 183MC gets me plenty of images that I extract from the resultant 50-ish gigabyte video using PIPP.

I hope that explains it reasonably well :-)

[assbutt94]

Wow, very tricky, but the result was fantastic! I think I'll have to have a go one day. Thankyou for the explanation!