ISS International Space Station (Page 2): Yes Jim it was with the Tamron 150-600mm w/2x teleconverter. There was a light fog so it came out blurry. I have had some pretty good shots of...

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Albuqshutterbug wrote:

Nice singles Craig.
Was this with your Tamron?

Yes Jim it was with the Tamron 150-600mm w/2x teleconverter.
There was a light fog so it came out blurry.
I have had some pretty good shots of it before on a clear night.
But thanks for the compliment.
Craig

4-5-15

(Download)

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

SonnyE wrote:

290 mi according to Google. :roll: But who's coun... (show quote)

The App worked perfectly. I could not see the satellite until it got to the flare stage and it suddenly lit up brightly for a brief time and then went back to obscurity. The solar panels were aligned to exactly the correct angle to see the flash. Pretty cool.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

JimH123 wrote:

The App worked perfectly. I could not see the satellite until it got to the flare stage and it suddenly lit up brightly for a brief time and then went back to obscurity. The solar panels were aligned to exactly the correct angle to see the flash. Pretty cool.

Well good, Jim.
I got nadda. Not sure why, but I do know I can hardly see stars from my backyard.
I found lots of satellites in the desert. But in my yard, with half a moon... :-( I did enjoy the app though. It is pretty cool.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

SonnyE wrote:

Well good, Jim.
I got nadda. Not sure why, but I do know I can hardly see stars from my backyard.
I found lots of satellites in the desert. But in my yard, with half a moon... :-( I did enjoy the app though. It is pretty cool.

With the Iridium satellites, they are only bright for perhaps 10 sec during the flash portion. The App starts to beep to let you know it is time. I saw the flash with the satellite directly under Polaris. It was about 1/2 the elevation of Polaris.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

JimH123 wrote:

With the Iridium satellites, they are only bright for perhaps 10 sec during the flash portion. The App starts to beep to let you know it is time. I saw the flash with the satellite directly under Polaris. It was about 1/2 the elevation of Polaris.

I was probably looking South at the time...
Probably another day.... :-D

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

JimH123 wrote:

Great! I'm covered. Signed up for the email alerts. Have the Android App loaded. I see there is an Iridium satellite tonight with a magnitude of -3.7! That's brighter than Venus.

You should be aware that the Iridium satellites are not visible the way the ISS is. They *are* bright, but very transient - more like a bright meteor than a satellite. You have to be looking at the right place at just the right time...

Ok, I see someone beat me to it! :-D

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

With Heavens Above,
Even with the Sky Chart guiding me, I missed it. :lol:
But I'm fine tuning the settings to my liking. Like "flip when held overhead". ;)

I can't seem to get into the time mode I saw last night. So I guess that is only available when the satellite is near. :?:
I didn't understand it last night, and set it way off from the actual event. I thought that was a reminder, and I don't think it actually worked correctly for me. (Because I messed it up)

But the Sky Chart shown the target satellite as it transcended my location. Just because I was probably looking the wrong way, and didn't catch last nights opportunities won't dis-sway me.
I'll keep trying until I catch the light... :mrgreen: :lol: :lol:

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

SonnyE wrote:

With url=http://www.heavens-above.com/ Heavens Ab... (show quote)

It has that crude map, but shows the position in the sky which started from all the way south to all the way north. I decided to go all out and bought the upgraded package for $2 and some change and it shows the moon and planets too and I could see where it was going by the moon and Saturn. And there was a dot near the northern point of travel that was the flare point and when it reached it, I go beeping and as I watched to the north, the flare lit up nicely for perhaps 10 sec and then was gone as quickly as it came.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

JimH123 wrote:

It has that crude map, but shows the position in t... (show quote)

I did go "Pro" today. I think it is worth it to me.
South to North (or vice-versa) is my best view. Just the way the lay of the land is for me.
The ISS is too low in my sky right now, although I strained trying to catch a glimpse. My neighbors overgrown trees set up a wall NW to SW. Sigh..
If I go out front, there is a streetlight in the way. :roll:

I seem to have to struggle a bit before the waters clear. But I keep swimming... :lol:

But I am glad you caught it. And that you like the App.

northcoast42 Loc: Puget Sound, Washington

Nice captures Craig! I've seen the ISS a couple of times but never had the camera to try to catch it. These are very cool.

CraigFair wrote:

Here are 2 shots of the Space Station taken through the fog and it is impressive how fast the Solar Panels rotate.
The shots are only 28 sec apart. The Station appears to maintain a position orientated to the Earth while the Panels rotate.
I might be wrong but that's the way it looks to me.
Craig

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

northcoast42 wrote:

Nice captures Craig! I've seen the ISS a couple of times but never had the camera to try to catch it. These are very cool.

Thank you very much John. It's a real challenge to get fairly steady handheld shots of ISS especially in and out of the clouds.
Craig