How to shoot the ISS?

[Adrena1in]

I keep printing out a list of the times and positions that the ISS will be visible from where I live, using this handy website (http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html). (How handy!)

As luck would have it, the dog wanted letting out at 4:40am the other day. At the time I checked my printed sheet and saw that at 4:42am the ISS would be visible, for some minutes, and in the SSW, which is perfect for where I live. Looked out my window and bob's your uncle, there it was. A bright light, drifting silently across the sky.

Would love to try and take a photo, and I don't just mean a trail...I mean a proper image. What sort of FL do I need to capture the ISS and it's shape, and also, are there ways to successfully track it using a standard EQ mount? I guess if I knew the exact path and was clever enough I could align my mount accordingly, then manually slew the mount to try and keep up. :confused:

[chris.bailey]

All the images I have seen that actually show a recognisable ISS are taken with a big SCT or Newt (10-14") with Powermates so a resultant FL of around 2.5m! Tracking is either by hand (a secondary smaller scope and reticle eyepiece I would think) or having the track programmed into whatever computer programme you have that controls the mount (several of them allow this).

I would imagin its very hit and miss but its amazing what some people do manage

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/attachments/2754493-ISS_20081104_054849atms.jpg

[Adrena1in]

Cheers Chris. With my 2x TC I effectively have 2.4 metres of FL, but it's the whole getting the scope pointing in the right place that confounds me...I expect the ISS moves across the frame at 2400mm in an instant!!

Perhaps stick to wider FL and then zoom/crop the resultant image. I mean, I saw the shape of Saturn at only 400mm last night.

[chris.bailey]

Yeah I cannot imagine trying to track it at 2.4m by hand. I dont think you have much chance without programming it in to something like Starry Night and let that take over. I think you can also do it on the Meade handsets but have never tried.

I caught it in a pair of binos last year but it was very small.

[troypiggo]

I seem to remember reading a thread here where they had 2 guys, I think father and son, helping each other. One did the tracking while the other took the photo.

Here, this is the one: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=603678&highlight=iss

PS - how does the 2x TC go with imaging? I hadn't thought of that. Wonder how it compares IQ-wise against barlows?

[mbscad]

Hi Adrena1in,
I have managed to track the ISS by hand just by using the finderscope crosshairs.
You need to look at the path that the ISS will take (in my case start W -end SE) then move your mount so that you can sweep this arc fairly quickly. Get everything set up and ready to go with a remote control in one hand. Spot the ISS approach (it's very bright) and you need to nail it as it approaches as its not sweeping that fast. Then aim the crosshairs a little in front of the ISS and keep taking as many pictures as you can. Most of them will miss the chip at 2.5m f/l but with luck you'll get a few.
Because it's so bright and fast you will need a very fast shutter speed (mine was about 1/1000 if I remember correctly) and I had 3 goes at it before I got the picture that I wanted. Oh and make sure you have focussed the scope at infinity before you start as there is no way to adjust focus in time.
HTH

[MidnightSun]

All the images I have seen that actually show a recognisable ISS are taken with a big SCT or Newt (10-14") with Powermates so a resultant FL of around 2.5m! Tracking is either by hand (a secondary smaller scope and reticle eyepiece I would think) or having the track programmed into whatever computer programme you have that controls the mount (several of them allow this).

I would imagin its very hit and miss but its amazing what some people do manage

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/attachments/2754493-ISS_20081104_054849atms.jpg


That's pretty cool. Never thought about shooting that. I may have to try that one night...

[Jeff]

I seem to remember reading a thread here where they had 2 guys, I think father and son, helping each other. One did the tracking while the other took the photo.

Here, this is the one: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=603678&highlight=iss

PS - how does the 2x TC go with imaging? I hadn't thought of that. Wonder how it compares IQ-wise against barlows?


Yea, that was our picture. :D I practiced several times over a few months just getting the scope to track visually (10" Meade LX200 GPS). It did drift a little in an eyepiece but it would stay in the EP. I new it was going to drift off out of the view of the camera though so I had my son hit the shutter button and focus while I made fine adjustments to the tracking to keep it right on the crosshairs.

If you've ever seen that part of Apollo 13 where they're manually flying the capsule during a burn, it was kind of like that. Up, no down, there, there, Up, UP, UP, etc.

Overall it was challenging and a ton of fun to finally get a picture of it.

I have seen some pretty good pictures by people who have just manually guided.