ISS Passes Over Stormy Africa with the Milky Way as a background

ISS Flyover Video – 1/18/2012

Below is a movie made from the 17 images I used to make the ISS flyover image from the previous post. You will notice that there are a few more satellites that streak across the sky though none as bright as the ISS.

Previous ISS posts:
ISS Image of the day
Reflecting on the ISS
The ISS on a Cold January Morning
The ISS and Space Shuttle Discovery as Seen From Pennsylvania

ISS Image of the day

Much like some of my previous ISS flyover images, this one is composite made from multiple images — in this case, 17 separate 30 second exposures. However, this time I photoshopped in the missing parts of the ISS’ trail which were caused by the brief moment between exposures (if i hadn’t done that, the trail would have been a series of dashes instead of a solid line).

Click to embiggen

Previous ISS posts:
Reflecting on the ISS
The ISS on a Cold January Morning
The ISS and Space Shuttle Discovery as Seen From Pennsylvania

Reflecting on the ISS

One more image sequence of the January 16th, 6:30am ISS flyover that I didn’t post yesterday. You can see the ISS’ reflection in the partially frozen lake.

click to embiggen

The same technique was used to create this composite image as the one in the previous post. The image is made from 32 separate images. Each dash represents one 5 second exposure. The gaps in the line are from the short duration between exposures. If i had captured the whole thing in one exposure, it would appear as a solid, unbroken line.

Previous ISS posts:
The ISS on a Cold January Morning
The ISS and Space Shuttle Discovery as Seen From Pennsylvania

The ISS on a Cold January Morning

The International Space Station (ISS) made two appearances this morning — one at 4:56am and the other at 6:30am. The first appearance was short and low. Its maximum elevation in the sky was only eleven degrees up off the horizon and it was visible for just a little more than a minute. I decided I’d try to photograph both flyovers.

Here’s the image from the first flyover. Because the ISS was so low on the horizon, it wasn’t very bright and it is hard to see in the image below. Click on the image to open a larger version and maybe you can spot the streak the ISS made.

If you still couldn’t spot it, click here for a hint.

The second flyover was a long one. It was visible for six minutes and passed almost directly overhead. Its path was too long and too high in the sky for me to capture in one shot, so I pointed the camera in the direction it was traveling (NE), took a series of 8 second exposures to capture the second half of the flyover. I composited those images into a single image.

Here is the composite image made from 24 separate images. Click the image to view a larger version.

Each dash is an eight second exposure. The gaps in the line are from the short duration between exposures. If i had captured the whole thing in one exposure, it would appear as a solid, unbroken line.

The ISS orbits at an altitude of about 240 miles and travels at an average speed of 17,239.2 mph, or 4.788 miles per second. That means that each dash shows the ISS traveling 38.304 miles. There are 24 dashes in the composite image which combine for a total of 919.296 miles — and that doesn’t include the distance it traveled between camera exposures.

Previous ISS post: The ISS and Space Shuttle Discovery as Seen From Pennsylvania

Quadrantid Meteor Shower

I went out at 2:30am (eastern time) to try to photograph the Quadrantid meteor shower. Considering the amount of light pollution, and that it was only 8° out, I think the photographs came out okay.

(click each image for larger version)

Asher vs. iPad

A Krampus Carol

Mowing the Lawn

Downy Woodpecker on a Sunflower

Male Downy Woodpecker