first try imaging the ISS

[Toxic Coolaid]

It's not much, but it was pretty cool to get more than a dot. I aimed my 600mm SkyWatcher while my girlfriend pressed the remote shutter when I told her I was on target. We did better that I figured for the first try. Hope to try again on Saturday.

Canon 7D
1/1250
1600iso

[SteveInNZ]

Did you aim using the mount controls or unclamp it and swing it by hand ?
Either way, it's an illusive little dot. Well done.

[heldGaze]

Dude, awesome!

I saw you have image editing OK on your account, I should probably set that, so I just futzed with it a little in PS since you've been so helpful with me.

Not sure if I objectively improved it. I think the solar panels pop a little bit more. The background is noisier, not sure if that is noise or stars. I don't really know what I'm doing, I just moved sliders around and watched what happened. Hope it was cool that I did this.

[Toxic Coolaid]

Perfectly fine with me. I tried to stack a few in Registax, but didn't have much luck. Hopefully I can get more good images Sat night. And yes, I just loosened the clutches and moved it freehand. I'm debating on using the 800mm AT8in next. I actually have a laser mounted on a scope mount, so I just visually aimed the laser at the ISS. It was in 90% of the frames, but the detail was not there in most of them.

[heldGaze]

Whoa, I wonder if the people on ISS see lasers that are pointed at them. I've spotted satellites before, but I'm not sure if it was ever the ISS. I want to intentionally spot the ISS at some point. Gotta use Heavens Above and Stellarium to plan it out and get lucky with weather. I never thought I'd be able to image one other than a trail.

I assume you ran the camera is multi-shot mode, and had her just hold the shutter down and took several snaps while you were tracking it?

[Toxic Coolaid]

Originally Posted by heldGaze

I assume you ran the camera is multi-shot mode, and had her just hold the shutter down and took several snaps while you were tracking it?

Yeah just told her to go when I had it lined up. She didn't realize to just hold it down, and she was just pressing the button as fast as she could. I thought I might have had it in slow burst by accident. If it's clear we should get 3 times the amount of shots tonight. I'm
debating on using the 800mm Astro-Tech. Here is an uncropped image

[heldGaze]

It'll be harder to track naturally, but that's so close to the center of the frame that I think you'd be able to get the ISS even at 800mm so I say go for it. We've got rain rolling in, so now astro for me tonight I'm sad to say, or probably the rest of my visit to my parents' place. Good luck tonight, happy shooting.

[MidnightSun]

Very cool shot.......

[rick_reno]

wow, that first shot is nice. never seen it looking like that, most photos of it are a streak

[heldGaze]

Did you get to try shooting it again with the 800mm?

[Toxic Coolaid]

I did, and we nailed it, in the aiming department anyway. Kept the ISS very near the center in nearly all the shots. But it did not come out sharp. I've been fighting a collimation problem. I use a Badder laser every time I shoot, but I'm still getting bad stars of center. When using a Cheshire tool things pointed to the secondary mirror being to close to the primary even though I had it as far out as it would go. A guy on another forum suggested it could be a focuser alignment problem. I took out the spider and secondary, and took off the focuser. checked all kinds of measurements on the scope... then noticed the focuser was not seated correctly (from the factory). Long story short, I'll try again. I may even try a barlow and bump the ISO up. Just something neat to try to do.

2nd try with the 800mm





and the origin on my collimation error

[Toxic Coolaid]

Originally Posted by rick_reno

wow, that first shot is nice. never seen it looking like that, most photos of it are a streak

I've seen shots from a father/son team that got stunning shots. You could almost see people waving in the windows. I knew I'd never get that, but thought I would try to get a shot with details.I also like doing the stacks of 10 second exposures of a fly-by

[heldGaze]

So much to learn. The harder it is to get, the more I seem to enjoy making a photograph. I definitely plan on capturing some orbiters like that trail when I'm living in clearer skies.

[Toxic Coolaid]

I sit in the middle of a "red zone" for light pollution. So don't let the LP stop you. Clouds on the other had tend to put a stop to things. For the dotted line ISS pass, I just figure out where it will pass, set up my field of view, set up my remote timer to shoot 10 sec shots with 1 sec pause in between. You have to figure out what ISO and f settings you'll need for you conditions. But you don't need the ISS to do tests and figure out your settings ahead of time. I find it fun to try this stuff.

Mo

[Celestron]

Great capture Toxic Coolaid !