ISS a challenge?

[stinky]

Recently I was lucky enough to have my scope out just as the ISS passed overhad at mag -1. I managed to track it for about 2 seconds with a 20mm on my F8 refractor.

Has anybody managed to image this? What sort of magnification woukd be required to pick uo any form or shape? How could you track this beastie - it moves out!?

Anybody had any interesting times with artificial satelites?

[asimov]

heres a snap I took of it awhile back, no scope. Kodak point & shoot on full zoom, taken as an AVI & then stacked.

[avandonk]

Try here

http://spaceweather.com/

A video of the ISS transiting the Moon.

Bert

[JohnG]

Off the Meade website

JohnG

[asimov]

Thats the one. Nice one JohnG.

[stinky]

Impressive - any idea of magnification? Did I read right - imaged in daylight!

[JohnG]

This is the webpage.
http://www.meade.com/lx200gps/12_14_lx200gps.html

The article in question was in S&T in 1998.

JohnG

[sheeny]

Not quite de ja vu... but I just posted a thread about imaging satellites as well - coincidence!

I saw an article back in the late 80's, I think in an edition of "Astronomy", where guys there were using fork mounted C8s with huge (by today's standards) video cameras hanging off the back of them. I can't remember the details, but I have in my mind that they had some sort of custom built drives on the mounts to move the scopes quick anough to track, and they were tracking the satellites to video them.

I have thought about some hair-brained schemes to have a go at it, but not sure what would work... maybe a dob, toucam, laser pointer combination with really good hand eye coordination???;)

Al.

[xstream]

Try this site stinky

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/satcom_transits/March2005.html

All images are done through a 8" LX-90.

[stinky]

Amazing stuff! They say that it was done with manual tracking - quite a feat.

[[1ponders]]

Manual tracking would be possible, however I tracked the Hubble on dusk one night from the west/northwest to the north/northeast for about a minute or so with a ED80 (25mm eyepiece) on a Losmandy GM8. Wasn't easy I'll tell you. Wouldn't have been too bad if it I only had to make Dec changes or RA changes. But having to do both and keep it in the eyepiece at the same time was a real challenge. It's amazing how fast that thing moves when you're trying to track it in an eye piece. With practice you would probably have no trouble, but I'd hate to try and track it manually and image it at the same time.:scared:

Btw, I didn't see any detail just a bright moving "star" It as a hoot though :D

I know the ISS isn't as far as the Hubble but it's apparent rate of motion is faster.

[acropolite]

Theoretically, Meade scopes will acquire and track the ISS, though I haven't tried it. There is a download available from Meade with the necessary data to program the LX. When the ISS becomes visible again in the night sky I might have a crack at it.

[sheeny]

Cool stuff!

Al.