International Space Station - 17 March

[Matty P]

Whooooo!!! :D

After my very poor attempt at the ISS on the 15th. I had one more chance to image the ISS before it disappears for a while.

After fixing a few problems with the exposure settings. I managed to capture what I think is my best image of the ISS to date.

This ISS passing was a bright magnitude -2.3 reaching a maximum elevation of about 84°. I used a 1/1200sec exposure time with the gain set at 100% and the DMK shooting at 60fps.

This time I was better prepared for the passing and set the scope up facing the right direction. Overall, I am extremely happy with these results. I still have a couple more frames to process.

Thanks for looking. :thumbsup:

[iceman]

Nicely done, great work. Looks like it could use an even faster shutter.

I missed tonights pass, had to go to a meeting :(

[peter_4059]

Great image Matty. I'm going to have to try this. How many frames did you shoot to get this one on the CCD?

[h0ughy]

congratulations matty, thats an excellent effort

[spacezebra]

Whooaaaa - this is brilliant.

Well Done Matty:thumbsup:.

Cheers Petra

[Ric]

Top stuff Matty, a nice capture for sure.

I sure that's not as easy as it looks.

Cheers

[madtuna]

oh Matty you suck!! I'm not posting my poor attempt after seeing yours lol

[Garyh]

That is a great capture!
I wouldn`t know where to start to get anything like this!
well done!

[RB]

Whahoooo congraaaats Matty............:clap:

Fantastic image, great capture, you've done very well with this one mate.
I can see you're hooked on this now. ;)

It certainly was a nice flyover !

:thumbsup:

[leon]

Yep a fine capture indeed, that must be so hard to do, and you have done it justice, fine effort.

Leon

[Dennis]

A cracker of an image Matty - well done, you must be one happy boy with that one! A tough job executed very well indeed.

Cheers

Dennis

[sheeny]

Well done!

I missed it... too busy, too much happening, too many friends visiting...

who's complaining?

Al.

[Matty P]

Thank you all very much for your kind comments. It is greatly apreciated. :thumbsup:

Peter, I captured around 14,000 frames and only 200 had the ISS on them. Not bad compared to my other attempts.

Here is another image that I thought is acceptable to post.

Having a closer look. Is the over exposed blob the Space Shuttle Endeavour?

[peter_4059]

Matty,

How did you sort 14,000 frames to find the 200 with the ISS on them?

Peter

[Matty P]

Hi Peter,

To sort though the 14,000+ frames, I used VitualDub to individually go through each frame and delete the ones that did not ISS on them. Easy.... :lol:

[madtuna]

I'm sure the blob is the Shuttle Matty, I got that in mine too.
You being an expert can you look at mine and tell me where I went wrong? I'm a brand spanker with the ToUcam

[Astro78]

Nice Matty, very nice! How on earth do you track this?

Also great shot btw Steve.

Hanging for one you fellas to catch the shuttle docking, or a spacewalk!!!

[Matty P]

Trav, now you've got me thinking. I would love to (one day) capture a shuttle docking or maybe evening a spacewalk. That would be amazing!

Steve, that is actually a very good capture. Just a question, what resolution did you use during the capture? 320x240 or 640x480?

I hope you don't mind but I ran your image of the ISS through PS and adjusted a few things.

Well done mate. :thumbsup:

[madtuna]

Matty I don't mind at all!! I was tossing up if I should email you privately and pick your brains.
I'm going to sound like a twit here..but I have no idea what resolution or what anything for that matter.

In fact I had been tracking it for about a minute before I even realized I hadn't started the capture yet :screwy:

So any suggestions and pointers would be greatly welcomed

[Matty P]

I thought I would post this image showing the ISS as it moves through the sky getting futher from the Earth.

Enjoy! :)

[omnivorr]

" I managed to capture what I think is the best image of the ISS to date."

..a joy to see Matty, and Steve (and all you others, [someday me too?]too!!)

I'm convinced that brighter shape is no doubt the shuttle.. aside from all the equipment/settings/blah blah.. what impresses me is that you guys track the thing! .. at magnification!.. or nanowotsit per pixel thingy, whatever ya please to call it.. it scoots along impressively enuff naked-eye!

....remember that first person ever photographed, 'cos he stood still long enuff havin his shoes shined... these images will someday be like that.. p'haps in the bedside "Wellcome to the Hilton Orbiter" holocube, beside the Galactic Gideon, ..and the "Extra services directory".. like sepia images at the EP end of history's 'scope , viewed from the future objective..

"..to think they were Earthbound, and stood in the fleshworld, actually using no more than primitive optics provided by a rudmentary capitalist system, .. and had no eugeno-nano-quantum-hyperplasty at all -dahhhhhling!!~ I mean.. can you imagine it!!"

..thanks for indulging, I'll just get back to my 'microchips' now... (neolithic-wise.. "..the multi-purpose chopper just doesn't "cut it" anymore, now these new-fangled microliths and composite tools are all the rage..")

"Hubris" is far older than the Ancient Greeks who called it thus.. and no human shall ever exist without it existing.. but in the scale of things Matty, .. it IS " I managed to capture what I think is the best image of the ISS to date. " ...good onya mate!!! I'm only jealous!!

Russ
:hi:

[Inmykombi]

Whoah, those last comments were too much for my meager little technicians brain :P

Well done indeed Matty.

I also cant imagine how anyone can even track something moving that fast.........

Keep up the good work....

Geoffro.

[tornado33]

Excellent work. I should have checked the fly over time here and done something. Oh well.
Scott

[madtuna]

Russ..I'm pretty sure he was saying "his best to date"

As for tracking, I dont know how Matty does it, but I unlock the RA and DEC locks on the EQ6 and just line it up in the Telrad and swing that sucker around trying to keep it locked into the Telrad target area. I think the Telrad was the best thing invented for manualy tracking the ISS

[IanL]

These images are just fantastic. The details that youse have captured is just remarkable.
I struggle to keep a star in the frame never mind something that hurtling through space at rate 17,500mph.

Well done!

Ian

[omnivorr]

Steve (madtuna), ..tongue was firmly in cheek mate ;) .. and yes, I understood it to be manually done, .. that's what impresses!! an acquired skill I'm sure.. a deftness I doubt my doddering old carcass can muster anymore :P :(

Russ

[Matty P]

Russ, although I hope to say that one day that "I captured the best image of the ISS to date". I was supposed to say was that "I managed to capture what I think is my best image of the ISS to date". ;)

I know there are a few people wondering how I manage to track the ISS. So here is how I do it.

My C8 is on a Alt/Az mount that cannot be moved manually by hand. So I have to look through the RDF while making small and sometimes large adjustments with the HC to keep the ISS on the little red dot.

It is probably not the best way to track the ISS but it works for me. :P

Thanks :thumbsup:

[omnivorr]

Matty P, Ahhhh, I see.. "the HC",.. those Playstation skills'd be handy then! another win for the texting-thumbs generation!! ;)

mmmmm... makes me wonder what "convergence" with future gaming technology might bring to the astro-puta scopes.. 3D wireless headsets with head-tracking and thought-controlled mag'n'focus... bio-recognition presets, "favourites", ..Google-Ads :P ..that ol' tongue-in-cheek again (comes easily, from a lack of molars in the way :P)

Russ

[Kokatha man]

Hey Brudda - I think I musta found yer teeth today: so if I "bit" anyone it must've bin yer fault!

Cheers, Darryl.

[omnivorr]

..juss doncha go bitin orf more'n oy ken chooz Darryl!! ;) :P