ISS tracking with Goto mount

[RogerRoll]

Good evening

I hope you are all well.

I am hoping someone can help me.

I am planning to purchase a new telescope with a goto mount - to primarily view the planets.

I would love to see the iss through the scope and

I am very keen to know if there is any goto mount that will automatically track the iss??

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks

Paul

[JamesF]

I'm not aware of one that will track the ISS directly, but if you control the mount using a PC there are certainly applications that will control the mount to track it for you.

James

[ChrisLX200]

Some of the best images of the ISS that I've seen were obtained by hand-guiding (not slewing under power) a 9.25 Celestron with a little video camera attached to the main scope. There are some apps that will track under power - sort of anyway - they actually move the scope to point at a position ahead of the predicted track and stop, you view the satellite cross the FOV then it moves forwards again. It's a bit more tricky to track the satellite continuously in real time.

ChrisH

[Tinker1947]

One of these has the speed and firmware to track satalites, well thats the way i read in the spec, around £7k 

http://www.iankingimaging.com/show_product.php?id=1287

[RogerRoll]

Thanks for your quick responses.

The stop and start option is looking like the way forward for my budget.

Thanks again

Paul

[Ludd]

I think my Skysensor is supposed to be able to track low earth orbit satellites, but given that the tiniest inaccuracy in the orbital elements or in the scope alignment will result in me capturing nothing at all, and given how frequently the ISS orbit is tweaked,  I've tended to track by hand, keeping the ISS on the cross hairs in my 9x50 finder.

Up to now I've used a DSLR, with a big sensor that helps.  I'll be trying with my new QHY5L-II as soon as I get a chance.

[nigelg]

The Mesu 200 with Sitech II comes with satellite tracking software built in.

Nigel

[perfrej]

All 10Micron mounts track the ISS and whatever else is up there up to about 15°/s with automatic meridian flip if required.

/per

[Davey-T]

My Meade LX200 is supposed to be able to track the ISS but I don't think anyone told it

Dave

[malc-c]

Not sure if it will track the ISS, but there is a way of interfacing EQMod with a sat tracker software to allow any SW goto mount to track satellites

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeJOIh2C3V0

However you are pushing the mount beyond it's design specification, so don't expect miracles

[Dave]

Not sure if it will track the ISS, but there is a way of interfacing EQMod with a sat tracker software to allow any SW goto mount to track satellites

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeJOIh2C3V0

However you are pushing the mount beyond it's design specification, so don't expect miracles

This is possible and I have tried it. And it works, well sort of!

This was with my EQ6 and I also tried it with my LX200 when I had it. Both times I tried it my mount was just a tad behind the space station and despite nudging it forward a step at a time with the joystick, I never caught it up properly before it was gone. The LX200 tracking as described above also worked with a similar result, but was extremely noisy as the handset produces a constant stream of beeps as it constantly re-adjusts the position of the scope while tracking.

I haven't tried it since as I got better much results using my 10" Dobbo and hand tracking it.

Dave

[perfrej]

Like this, the smaller and slower one of my mounts (well, not my example, but one just like it)

/per

[davestorey]

I had a etx125pe.. that had an option to track the ISS.. :-)

[Physopto]

I was impressed with the 10 micron's ability to track satellites. Then thought could my Paramount do the same. Looked on Software Bisque's web site and got a shock. They sell a program that will enable the Paramounts to do that but at a PRICE !!

 Several thousands of pounds OUCH !

The 10 Micron's come with that ability for free.........

[perfrej]

I didn't know they sold one like that. The 10Microns all allow you to load any TLE file (files that describe orbits) that you may care to throw at it and then track that object. As there are absolute encoders and modeling at play (always) it will do this unguided with very high precision.

TLE files are available for any not secret satellite up there, and you get them from https://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/ or http://www.tle.info

If anyone want to try this with their 10Micron mount, I advise uploading only the TLE files you want to image and empty the mount of the rest. If you dont, you have a list of several hundred things to browse through with the hand pad... The hand pad will predict the passes and allows you to select the one you want to go for.

Let me know if I should post some screen shots of the process!

It is really cool!

 

/per

[Physopto]

$5,000

[Demon Barber]

This is also possible with Argo Navis equipped scopes,Obsession scopes being an example.

Mike

[Physopto]

Trust the DOB mob to get in on the act!  Thanks Mike, didn't know your monstrosity, err , scope could do that.

OK, just joking.

I'm off before the shrapnel come my way.

[perfrej]

4 hours ago, Physopto said:

$5,000

What? Where? Link?

 

/p

[Physopto]

The only way to see as far as I can tell, it is to be on the Software Bisque forum as a registered member. There was a question from a member asking how much the software cost. Daniel Bisque answered simply, $5000.

If you enquire on their website I presume you will get the same answer.

Derek

[Tim]

Here's a great story

I first tried the ISS tracking on my GM1000 and saw immediately that it is awesome. I could put a 1000mm fl telescope on the mount, and literally watch the ISS in the viewfinder of the camera as it went over.

The next night, I tried it again, but the mount was a little off. Hmmmm, puzzled as to why this could be after such a great performance the night before.

Next day there was a report that one of the docked rockets or something had an unexpected and unscheduled rocket burn which had caused the ISS orbit to alter slightly. The TLE file I had uploaded had obviously not been corrected, and the mount had just tracked the position it should have been in, without the accident

I also use the custom target upload feature to track asteroids, comets etc.

Must do the ISS again with a high frame rate camera. This is my result with a DSLR.

 

 

  

[perfrej]

Tim, that definitely would have had me puzzled as well. Cool!

Derek, thanks. I'll take your word for it  Horrible!

 

/p

[Physopto]

Thanks Per, I don't feel comfortable in trying to copy and past private comments or thoughts between members of another locked forum. I don't suppose conveying the general idea is a betrayal of trust. 

I have found a further  thread there. In it several members  were commenting unfavourably about the price. One suggested it was or would be more like a price for an institution or business. He had worked in the space program in the past and suggested that the price would be the sort of thing asked in that market, but as an individual he said that he would not pay for it. That seemed to be the general regard to the price. That no one would pay that price. Shocked was the other response!

To my mind a ridiculous price to ask when really it should be part of The SkyX program, especially considering the 10 Micron mount range. For that money you are half way to the cost of  10 Micron mount.

Software Bisque seem to be living in the past or at least on past glories. They really need to update there range and methods if they want to survive in this ever evolving market. It is a shame as their workmanship is exceptional.

Derek

[Tim]

Just seen this on the 10 Micron forum. Kind of speaks for itself!!

 

http://forum.10micron.eu/album_page.php?pic_id=229&sid=01da4d8a3e37bbbb9562d022246605ed

[Physopto]

Stunning quality.