Space shuttle and station

Andy

Andy

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Andy
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Ment to be passing over both of them within a few minutes. I think its 9:01. Anyone else seen this or thinking of photographing?
 
Where in the sky do we look??? We're lucky enough to have a clear night here :)
 
Just seen it ! Went very fast, mad at myself for not having a good lens :(
 
I am hopping around like a kid in a sweet shop - we've just seen both the shuttle and the ISS (we think and hope) - how cool is that????

Thanks for the heads up - now......did anyone get any photos to share???

:clap:
 
I got some but there not worth sharing. Only had a 50mm Lens soooo that kinda explains itself.
 
Just saw both the ISS was about 20 seconds behind the Shuttle
I only saw them for about 30 odd seconds not the predicted
3 minutes got trails but thats about it :(
 
2719934285_37e72655b9_o.jpg

I managed to get a few shots of the ISS as it flew over last year. I post this to show what a small image you get even with a 600mm f/l lens.
It is very bright and those who saw it tonight will realise that it is moving very fast.
 
Show off ;)

I remembered that set, but I couldn't for the life of me remembered who posted them! Very good stuff :thumbs:

Chris
 
mbscad said:
2719934285_37e72655b9_o.jpg

I managed to get a few shots of the ISS as it flew over last year. I post this to show what a small image you get even with a 600mm f/l lens.
It is very bright and those who saw it tonight will realise that it is moving very fast.
Click to expand...

nice:)what shutter/aperture/iso you using here?
 
21:23 tonight for Blackpool/Preston area - may give it a shot if the clouds clear by then!
 
Caught two passes of the ISS this evening. Just about managing to photograph both.

http://www.heavens-above.com/ is the definitive resource for overpass data. I think the next significant pass for the UK is 14th Sept.

For those that use twitter http://www.twisst.nl/ is worth following as you'll get a tweet specific to you and your geo location a few hours ahead of any significant visible overpass.

I set up in Manual mode, on a tripod, open up the aperture as wide as possible and adjust the exposure time so that the scene meters more or less ok. This might not be perfect but it is working. mirror lock up and self timer avoid any wobbles.
 
buckas said:
nice:)what shutter/aperture/iso you using here?
Click to expand...

Andy said:
Im gonna take a guess at this :lol:

ISO:100
Shutterspeed:125th
Aperture:F11

Tell me how wrong I am mbscad :)
Click to expand...
I'd suggest that could be in the right ballpark.

Remember, although the sky is dark, the ISS is being illuminated by bright sunlight. That indicates that the exposure should be appropriate for a sunlit subject. Shooting at ISO 100, the Sunny-16 Rule would say 1/100th at f/16; or 1/200th at f/11; or 1/400th at f/8; etc.

One consideration would be how fast the subject is moving. A too-slow shutter speed would result in the image being smeared across several pixels. I can't be bothered to do the maths right now, so I don't know whether that would be an issue at these sorts of speeds.

I would really like to hear about how this is done. Camera settings I can manage. But it's the practicality of the exercise. If you're shooting wth a 600mm or longer lens, how on earth do you locate and track the ISS?

If someone can advise here, I'm tempted to try it some time. A Sigma 300-800mm with a 2x Extender ought to capture it ... if I can find it!

EDIT: I estimate that 1600mm on a Canon 40D should give an image of the ISS whch is about 100 pixels across.....
 
Note to self, get an alarm clock.
Someone (I don't actually know who, but they know my name), sent me a text with the positions in the sky and times, but I forgot.
Damn
 
Hi buckas, Andy and StewartR,
sorry I didn't get back to you earlier.
The settings that I used (which I did publish in the original post) were Iso 1600, f7.5, f/l 600mm 1/1000 sec. The problem for me was the speed of the object and its brightness so I needed a fast speed to freeze the motion which meant a high ISO since my focal ratio is fixed.
Hope that helps and that you will give it a try (it's a challenge).
The best photos that I have seen were taken with a webcam and a large telescope (i think 11" reflector) to try and cut through the atmosheric distortion, they were knockout photos for the amount of detail that they showed.
 
My usual fayre is to shoot a long exposre @ 30mm or so and aperture to suit whether it's dusk or dark. I've been able to get something of interest in on the ground (a tree, building etc.) and a nice long streak of the ISS.

Inspired by 'mbscad's shots I had another go last night. I have a (not brilliant) Canon EF 90-300mm lens and thought I'd have a go at a very short exposure to see if I could freeze frame the spacecraft itself.

Well, it was chaos and a bit of fun. It was a fairly high arc above me last night and racing along at some speed.

I was too busy laughing at myself /fumbling with the tripod, framing and re-framing to pay much attention and was fairly sure I'd blown it. But no!

Patheticly small (it was way way off in the distance when I'd got the settings even half right)

3914246495_39b88e4a87_t.jpg


:cuckoo:

I know better now, will stick to wide angle streaks across the sky!
 
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