Not much of the ISS; and a cautionary tale

[StewartR]

On Saturday I had my triannual dose of culture: my wife was singing with her choir at All Saints Church, which is a magnificent Grade 1 listed Gothic pile in Maidenhead. And coincidentally the International Space Station was due overhead 15 minutes before the concert started, and the sky was reasonably clear, so I thought the churchyard would make a nice location to photograph the ISS as it passed over the church.

(Not that I'm saying I don't enjoy Tallis, Byrd etc; but the opportunity was too good to pass up!)

Unfortunately I didn't get my angles quite right. I had forgotten how many trees there were in the churchyard, and I had not thought to bring a compass to check on the orientation. I used the compass in my phone to work out where the ISS would be rising, but judging from the results I think it needs calibration. So the ISS rose behind the big tree and i only captured a small fraction of its path in the frame.

Still, it's an atmospheric photo and I'm encouraged to try again next time we have a clear evening.

 

[Byker28i]

Works well though as a location, but needs a little lens correction?

 

[StewartR]

Works well though as a location, but needs a little lens correction?

Yes, good idea. I thought I had lens corrections turned on by default in Lightroom, though it appears not. This was a Canon 11-24mm lens at 11mm, so it will probably transform quite dramatically when corrected. I'll try it when I get home.

 

[Norkie]

Nice one Stuart, should be a wonderful image when all the boxes are ticked

 

[holty]

nic capture

 

[mag1882]

OTOH, the church is wonderfully exposed, something I find an absolute nightmare when it comes to astro shots is the foreground.