ISS

[Enrico]

Just saw the ISS pass overhead. That thing is mighty quick, but I remembered the binoculars this time. Unfortunately the view was worse through these due to all the wobbling.

Question: has anyone managed to get a scope tracking the ISS? I'd love to get a set up to enable my little boy to see the ISS as more than just a fast moving bright blob.

[Josh Wilson]

Getting a scope to track the ISS requires up-to-date information on its orbit. Personally, I haven't been able to get my scope to track it, but look at how far we humans have come from the stone age. It can be done. You'll also need accurate timing down to the millisecond, or else the tracking could be way off.

[Mr Q]

And even then, your views may not show much as some of the photos in the below link show. And do note the size of the scopes used in order to gain the resolution needed for these pictures. If you could track it, it will probably just show a blurry "T" shaped object at best.

ISS

[cotterless45]

I did a bodge az/alt following in a small Dob. At even moderate mags (x40)I could see the solar panels and the shape of the main body. It's a quick little bright one though. Found it easiest just to get it from one side of fov to the other, then follow it to do another fov again.

If it is due , it's worth setting up for a spin.

Nick.

[jasonbirder]

Was it the ISS that passed over last night about 22:50 west to east tracking through Ophioucus, Sagitta, Delphinus etc?

Very bright but seemed to move alot slower than i expected?

[Mr Q]

Was it the ISS that passed over last night about 22:50 west to east tracking through Ophioucus, Sagitta, Delphinus etc?

Very bright but seemed to move alot slower than i expected?

Go to this link to get to a site that will tell you in up to a few days when/where the ISS or other objects will appear in your sky. All you have to do is enter your rough coordinates (lat and long) for accurate results.

HEAVENS ABOVE

[rory]

i got it in my finder and switched to the main eyepiece and at x37 i could follow manually for about 10 seconds . difficult to see shape as it was so bright, but i could almost make out something sticking out making a "H" shape,but not easy at all.

[alan potts]

I got a scope on it by the biggest accident possible, I wasn't looking for it, it just went through the field of view on my 12 inch with a 41mm eyepiece. It gave me a shock. Then when I realised what it was tried to catch it again, but failed. I have also had about 20 aircraft do the same thing, at X200 you can see the windows engines and even the tail name if the lights are on.

Alan.

[tich]

We saw the ISS last night for the first time at around 10:40 as it came almost right above us. Maybe I'll have a go at capturing it sometime as I've seen a tutorial online.

[Enrico]

Yes, we saw it last night too, the 21:45 ish pass. The look on my sons face when I pointed it out and he realized what he was seeing.... Priceless.

[Photosbykev]

Another very high pass this evening at 22:32

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Blame Apple for the typos and me for the content

[Becchiooo]

I managed to see the ISS for the first time tonight. Came from the west and was really bright and fast before disappearing behind cloud.

Tried to get it in the bins but couldn't, was still very rewarding with the naked eye.

[allcart]

I checked the heavens above site tonight to see what time it is due. On the data table it showed that the ISS would have a brightness mag of -3.4 at 10.22pm. At midnight it will be -0.6.

What does this mean exacly?

[Photosbykev]

The early pass will be much brighter than the second one. The more negative the magnitude the brighter the object.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Blame Apple for the typos and me for the content

[allcart]

Thanks Kev, I missed it anyway thanks to the cloud rolling over. Still it will be passing over for the next few nights at -3.4 so I may get to see it again before it dims down. Lets hope for a clear night soon.

[Stu]

I managed to follow the ISS for most of a pass the other night. I had to give in when it was overhead as it was too fast/awkward, but picked it up again as it went over.

I used a 106mm refractor with a 13mm ethos, giving x53 with a 1.9° fov which helped alot. Best technique was to focus on a star, and pick it up at the start of the pass when it is slower. You can then tweek the focus. I then just moved the scope ahead of it and let it pass through, and repeated. I got some excellent views of the solar panels and the main body of the station. Well worth persevering with. Might try with a powermate but probably won't be possible to track at that magnification.

Stu

[acey]

I happened to notice the ISS on Tuesday night while observing at my dark site (I knew what it was because no other satellite is so bright). I had a 32mm plossl in my 12" dob at the time (magnification x46.9), so I just swung fast, got it in view, and was able to keep up with it long enough to get a clear view of its outline with the solar panels.

[cotterless45]

Cool,it moves quickly,but we've bodge tracked it to see the panels and outline, cracking.

Nick.

[DirkSteele]

I tracked it by hand twice last night using a 4" Apo on a Tele Optic Giro Ercole Alt Az Mount and used a 10mm Delos EP. Magnification was about 70x and the field of view was 1.1^o. The main structures were clearly discernable including the main body and solar arrays. Technique is relatively straight forward, position the finder several seconds in front of the ISS, wait for it to appear and then manually move the scope to keep it the EP. First did it with an 8" Dob on the shuttle about 12 years ago, but been a while before last night.

Next time I will try a higher magnification and see how I do.

[allcart]

Cloudy again, just a big white sky.

[ikorodu]

Clouds here too but thre was a small gap at 9:30 just big enough to see the very bright iss zip past. I managed to get in the FOV of my 200p dob a couple of night back. Even without trying to track it I was blown away to see the familiar shape of the structure whizz past. Magic!

Rob

[allcart]

No such luck here Rob, I stayed under a heavy blanket of cloud all evening till well past midnight. I had to resort to watching it go past on the laptop using Stellarium. It was an awsome white streak arcing across my screen. Very impressive.

Last chance tonight I think before it slips too low in the sky. Forecast looks iffy.

[cotterless45]

Had a break in the clouds and in a bright evening sky, the ISS whizzed by over to the north east, nice,

Nick.

[Stu]

My app shows at least a few more decent passes over the next few days so should be possible for a little while

Stu

[Viv]

My app shows at least a few more decent passes over the next few days so should be possible for a little while

Except that i've just ordered a wide fish eye lens, so sorry for any new cloud ........