ISS Solar transit - animation

[lukebl]

Hi all,

I finally managed to capture my first ISS solar transit yesterday at 15:10:05 UT, using the EOS Movie Record software with my Canon 450D fixed to my 200mm f/5 Newt to create a movie at about 20 fps. I started the recording about 40 seconds before the scheduled transit and it was amazing to be simultanously watching the laptop screen and the clock (radio-controlled, so extremely accurate), when suddenly the ISS flitted across the solar disk for a brief moment bang on time. It was good to see it in real time on the screen. I then opened the movie in Windows Movie Maker and extracted the frames containing the ISS to make a GIF in Photoshop.

Resolution in EOS Capture isn't very high (753 x 424 pixels), but I'm pleased to have captured it at all. I think the clouds plus a few sunspots are a nice touch. Blink and you'd miss it. If this image appears too small and you can't see it, the ISS appears at about the 12 O'clock position, and departs at the 5 O'clock position. This shows a period of just over a second.

Here's a composite of all the frames. As you see, it dropped a few frames, but I think the animation still works fairly well considering, and you can just make out the general shape of the station.

[Helen]

That's brilliant Luke!!

[hayju01]

nice one Luke well done !!!

[callisto]

Exellent, well done

[Dave]

Nice one Luke.

[Glen]

Great capture Luke! Love the animation

[SkyJamie]

Awesome Luke

Jamie

[lukebl]

Thanks all! There's another transit here tomorrow afternoon (Amazing. you wait for months, then two occur a couple of days apart), and the weather looks promising, so I may try a higher-resolution effort.

[saturn5]

Thats wicked,fabulous job.