International Space Station (ISS)
Introduction
The International Space Station (ISS) is the biggest artificial satellite ever built and its complex structure makes it an interesting target to photograph. Many people are intrigued by the bright moving 'star' containing non-stop habitation.The ISS appears in the sky as an object with the angular size roughly comparable to that of the planet Jupiter which means that any magnification that shows the Jovian disk should resolve the ISS into more then a point of light. Observing visually at the eyepiece of a telescope with a magnification suited for planetary observing, it's a hard task to see any smaller detail on the ISS due to the high angular speed of roughly 1 degree per second when it is moving overhead.
The International Space Station (ISS) is the biggest artificial satellite ever built and its complex structure makes it an interesting target to photograph. Many people are intrigued by the bright moving 'star' containing non-stop habitation.The ISS appears in the sky as an object with the angular size roughly comparable to that of the planet Jupiter which means that any magnification that shows the Jovian disk should resolve the ISS into more then a point of light. Observing visually at the eyepiece of a telescope with a magnification suited for planetary observing, it's a hard task to see any smaller detail on the ISS due to the high angular speed of roughly 1 degree per second when it is moving overhead.
Starting around 2006 / 2007, I observationally witnessed from Earth the last construction years of the ISS. With every Space Shuttle mission, new elements were added and telescopic imaging sessions revealed the new additions like modules and trusses. Around 2008, I reached an image resolution of 1 to 2 meters on the ISS and smaller elements could be photographed successfully. Since then I captured relatively small details like the 2 meters wide crew lock of the Quest Airlock were astronauts prepare shortly before leaving the station for a spacewalk. Finally, I had the amazing privilege to capture for the first time in history astronauts during spacewalks, see page Astronauts in Spacewalks
Below: I not only managed to capture images of astronauts in spacewalks, an image of the Joint Airlock Hatch was already obtained in 2009 as well. This is an image analyses using a comparing space-based picture. Full resolution version
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Latest Images (All images taken with 10 inch telescope, fully manually tracked)
ISS 2021-09-25 Canadarm-2 holding Dextre robot. Raw video
Latest Images (All images taken with 10 inch telescope, fully manually tracked)
ISS 2021-09-25 Canadarm-2 holding Dextre robot. Raw video
ISS 2021-07-20 Striking view of the newly added IROSA solar array (visible at the right). The iROSA was mounted to the ISS just a month before the image was taken
ISS 2021-03-30 Damage in S1 radiator, marked. Presumingly happened after impact of a jettisoned service module thruster cover (2009). Damage size: 80cm x 30cm
ISS 2021-03-06 Taken in a rare moment of steady seeing
ISS 2020-05-23 Telescopic view ICARUS biological research antenna attached to the Russian Zvezda module compared to space-based view
ISS 2020-5-23 Details in ground-based image compared to space-based image
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
ISS Retro
Historic ISS Assembly View - Deployment of a Solar Array Documented
The images below show the ISS in the configuration after the STS-116 mission in December 2006 when the P5 truss-segment was added. This segment can be seen in the images as the lighter dot in the middle of the P4 solar array which was deployed during the STS-115 mission in September 2006. This is the solar array visible on top. On the other truss-end we see the location were the S3/S4 truss segment would be added during the STS-117 mission in June 2007.
Below: the configuration of the ISS in the spring of 2007. This image was taken on April 15, 2007 and is one of my first telescopic ISS images, at that time taken the prime focus of a 10 inch telescope
The ISS in April 2007 
The images below show the ISS in June 2007 before and after a new solar array was unfolded during the STS-117 mission. On the June 11 image and video on the left side, there was only 1 solar array mounted on the ISS truss so far (visible on the left side of the ISS), while the S3/S4 truss segment for the new solar array was just installed on the Starboard site (right side of the ISS). On the June 13 image we see that the S4 solar array is deployed. In both images, some parts of the docked Space Shuttle Atlantis are recognizable. The S3/S4 truss segment with solar arrays was transported by the Atlantis to the ISS. This may be one of the few or even the only captured ground-based view of this construction phase of the ISS. The images were taken in the primary focus of a 10 inch Newtonian using an ATK-1HS monochrome ccd camera.
In the video and the images, also the P6 solar array at its old temporary location on top of the the station is recognizable if knowing where to look. These panels were brought to the station by the STS-97 mission in November 2000 and relocated during the STS-120 mission in October 2007.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
ISS as a Photo Object
The always different observing angle in combination with different illumination on each pass, makes the ISS a dynamic photo-object, even after completion. Because the space station is orbiting above the Earth's atmosphere, we need steady skies to obtain sharp images, comparable to planetary imaging. However, obtaining many frames to improve signal-to-noise ratio is much more challenging due to the high angular speed of the ISS and other satellites. Sometimes it's useful to create an animated gif of several frames from an imaging session which displays the actual air turbulence and we see a realistic telescopic view. The four large solar panels of the space station feature often an impressive sight in any image of the ISS, but these are not always well visible in every occasion. Their visibility depends strongly on relation between sun-angle and observing-angle and therefore also related to seasons. In good seeing it is possible to see smaller detail such as the Robotic Arm Canadarm-2 or docked spacecraft capsules such as Soyuz, Progress or HTV.
The ISS can be a very surprising photo-object. These images taken on April 29, 2009 (top) and May 12, 2008, using a manually tracked 10 inch telescope in good conditions show a special illumination particularly along the Integrated Truss Structure
The always different observing angle in combination with different illumination on each pass, makes the ISS a dynamic photo-object, even after completion. Because the space station is orbiting above the Earth's atmosphere, we need steady skies to obtain sharp images, comparable to planetary imaging. However, obtaining many frames to improve signal-to-noise ratio is much more challenging due to the high angular speed of the ISS and other satellites. Sometimes it's useful to create an animated gif of several frames from an imaging session which displays the actual air turbulence and we see a realistic telescopic view. The four large solar panels of the space station feature often an impressive sight in any image of the ISS, but these are not always well visible in every occasion. Their visibility depends strongly on relation between sun-angle and observing-angle and therefore also related to seasons. In good seeing it is possible to see smaller detail such as the Robotic Arm Canadarm-2 or docked spacecraft capsules such as Soyuz, Progress or HTV.
The ISS can be a very surprising photo-object. These images taken on April 29, 2009 (top) and May 12, 2008, using a manually tracked 10 inch telescope in good conditions show a special illumination particularly along the Integrated Truss Structure
The Cupola as seen from Earth - Exotic Details for Backyard Telescopes
Over the last decade, the ISS orbit was gradually increased with nearly 100 kilometers to an altitude of over 400 kilometers, making the photography of smaller details more challenging. In good conditions it's still possible to capture details as the Cupola, the 7-window observatory on the ISS that has an outer diameter of 2,95 meters and sometimes visible as a circular spot in the Tranquility node. Depending on the lighting conditions, it can appear as a dark spot or as a light spot or a combination of both. As the Cupola is a window to observe mainly the Earth, it located on the Earth facing side of the ISS and therefore it is possible to see the Cupola from a favorable angle from the ground, especially when it is passing high over the observing location. The Cupola was added the space station in February 2010 when it was carried to the ISS by the Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-130. Since then, I had several times the opportunity to photograph a glimpse of it with the telescope.
Below are some of the best images I took of the Cupola. All were taken through a manually tracked 10 inch relfector.
Below: Recording from August 6, 2014 with a remarkable visibility of the Cupola as a dark spot, when knowing where to look. See the comparing still image below
The Cupola in the Tranquility node (the round dark spot circled in the image below) and many other details including a minor flare from an element on the port side of the truss can be seen in this video from September 2, 2010, the year that the Cupola was mounted to the ISS. These animated gif's were made from handtracked video through a 10 inch Newtonian telescope. The video provides also a good indication of the used telescopic imaging scale as the turbulence due to the Earth atmosphere is obvious.
ISS Images through the Years
A gallery of images of the International Space Station taken over the years. All images were taken through a 10 inch F/4,8 aperture Newtonian telescope with a JVC color camcorder or Astrolumina ALccd 5L-11 mono CMOS camera. Tracking was fully manually through a 6x30 finderscope.
The Cupola in the Tranquility node (the round dark spot circled in the image below) and many other details including a minor flare from an element on the port side of the truss can be seen in this video from September 2, 2010, the year that the Cupola was mounted to the ISS. These animated gif's were made from handtracked video through a 10 inch Newtonian telescope. The video provides also a good indication of the used telescopic imaging scale as the turbulence due to the Earth atmosphere is obvious.
ISS Images through the Years
A gallery of images of the International Space Station taken over the years. All images were taken through a 10 inch F/4,8 aperture Newtonian telescope with a JVC color camcorder or Astrolumina ALccd 5L-11 mono CMOS camera. Tracking was fully manually through a 6x30 finderscope.
Very rare recording of the Japanese HTV-1 cargo ship demo flight closing in on the ISS in 2009 and orbiting a short distance below the station. Note also the special illumination visible on the solar panels of the ISS. The HTV is the separate object top left from the ISS.
Beautiful colors on the ISS, captured on December 27, 2008. Note the blue Earth color reflected by different modules and radiators and the yellow color at the tips of the solar panels caused by sunlight reflecting from a particular angle towards the observer that causes 'minor-flares'
This early ISS image from November 4, 2008 shows an incredible amount of detail along the station's Truss including the Starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ). This is the element at the place were the solar panels rotate. Also is the Integrated Truss Structure over almost its full width visible in this image, apart from only over its full length. Due to shadow effects, it is not always possible to see the full truss width, illumination of the truss must be particularly good
ISS Construction Years Retro
When I started photographing the ISS around 2006, the construction of the station was still in progress. Around 2008, I aquired an imaging resolution with backyard equipment that was extraordinary for the time. Also, the group of astrophotographers pointing their telescopes to the ISS and other satellites was much smaller in those years then now is the case, even when this group is still very small compared to other fields in astrophotography. For that reason, the amount of ground-based ISS-images taken over that construction-period is relatively small, particularly in higher resolution. The use of a normal camcorder, that was bought in 2004 but which I started to use around 2008, delivered not only stunning resolution for the time but introduced in combination with a particular processing techique a unique photo-style that was almost sciencefiction-like. The image below was taken in May 2008 and sometimes a wonderful illumination from the right solar-angle is enough to create one-of-a-kind images. This retro picture illustrates a stage in the construction were the European Columbus laboratory was still standing alone without companion of the Japanese Kibo-lab. As the different segments of the Integrated Truss Structure were still free from the lots of instruments that are currently attached, it was also possible to see a much more clear view of the truss-segments itself.
High resolution image of the ISS central section taken in 2009. Note especially the KU-band antenna, External Stowage Platform-2 (ESP-2) The Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 (PMA-3) was located at the place were now the Node 3 (Tranquility module) is mounted. We have also a good view on the Quest Airlock, the egress/ingress point for spacewalks. Several details in this image are already comparable to the size of a human. Recognize and compare the area with the Airlock and the ESP-2 in the box with the space based image below, right.
One of the earlier good resolution images I obtained. Details as small as 2 meters on the ISS are visible in this image taken in 2008, we see clearly the 2 meter wide crewlock of the Quest Airlock (see markings) - the place were American astronauts egress and ingress the space station to do spacewalks
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Create Your Own Website With JouwWeb