Spot the Space Station

[Revvy]

Yeah that was my favorite spoof.

 

[Quadrupled]

I was watching the watch too! Seriously! I thought I might be the only person fixated on that watch. Funny.

Well, it's a bit comforting to me to know I'm not the only one to obsess on such a unmonumental event, I'm guessing we both catch a lot of the little things. You've always come off as more than your everyday run-of-the-mill stamp collector.

 

[passedpawn]

Well, it's a bit comforting to me to know I'm not the only one to obsess on such a unmonumental event, I'm guessing we both catch a lot of the little things. You've always come off as more than your everyday run-of-the-mill stamp collector.

Hate to burst your bubble, but I'm an ordinary stamp collector ( I wish there were more ). Also, the chances of me catching the ISS at 4:10 are decreasing as I respond to this thread. Good night!

 

[Pappers_]

Signed up for an alert - thanks!

 

[passedpawn]

FYI, I did not catch the ISS at 4:10. My goal is to get out there and put my camera in bulb mode and leave the shutter open during the entire transit, thus getting a nice white streak across the sky. But these early AM crossings aren't working for me.

 

[Quadrupled]

It took close to a month before I began receiving the messages, but I get them almost daily now. One of these days, it won't be overcast and/or I'll be able to force myself up. Today is 3:57AM - no way that's happening on a workday.

Pappers, are you getting alerts yet - I'm in the southwest 'burbs, so the below info is probably close for the general Chicago area.

My alert:
Time: Tue May 21 3:57 AM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 88 degrees, Appears: SW, Disappears: NE

I'd really love to see one of your photo's, passespawn.

 

[passedpawn]

I'd really love to see one of your photo's, passespawn.

I have the settings saved on my camera. I'm ready. Bulb, long exposure noise reduction = max, mirror lockup = enabled, etc.

I need to get away from street lighting though. It lights up the particles in the air during a long exposure and you end up with illumination in the sky that shouldn't be there.

Next evening transit I'll get it. The morning ones are difficult!

 

[Quadrupled]

I need to get away from street lighting though. It lights up the particles in the air during a long exposure and you end up with illumination in the sky that shouldn't be there.

When I was finishing up my graduate work, one of the physics professors I collaborated with had an air sampler for our project and there was something ridiculous like 10 million particles per cubic meter in his lab area - this tiny stuff isn't what's in affecting you, obviously, but it was a shocking to me at the time.

 

[shelly_belly]

Just watched it cross the sky and it wasn't even dark yet. Man that thing is bright.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

Just watched it cross the sky and it wasn't even dark yet. Man that thing is bright.

I thought about it at 8:30, but forgot by 9:30, when it was going over.

 

[Revvy]

Hah! I liked how he kept dropping the mike in the second video. The floating microphone was mesmerizing to me in the space videos. Thanks!

Just heard a fun interview with him last night on the CBC from Star City, Russia, and one of the questions asked was if he was dropping a lot of stuff. He said he was surprised after 5 months that he wasn't. He said after the first shuttle flight he did it all the time, much to his embarrassment, he'd try to "float" things over to people like he did in space, and would be surprised with a "thunk." He expected to have the same habitual behavior this time, but that part of his brain seemed to figure gravity out this time.

He said it's been a fascinating experience, that they've been learning a lot of interesting things about how the body and the mind works. Learning about how mechanisms actually work. I'm sure there's going to be a ton of papers out of this summer (he's pretty much a human guinea pig til his body returns fully to "normal" which he said should be in August.)

I can't wait to see how some of this info affects medical school teachings. When it starts trickling into the class rooms. I wouldn't be surprised if we start getting some of the new info in our Gross Anatomy Course this year, since the clinical correlations part of it is taught by my friend Scott and some of his NASA docs.

 

[aygov]

Having never payed much attention to it, I signed up for alerts and finally got one that coincided with a relatively cloudless sky. Man is that thing bright! I figured it was going to be like watching a star pass, but it looked more like a plane with how bright and visible it was. I've also got my wife hooked on looking for it.

 

[Quadrupled]

Just heard a fun interview with him last night on the CBC from Star City, Russia, and one of the questions asked was if he was dropping a lot of stuff. He said he was surprised after 5 months that he wasn't. He said after the first shuttle flight he did it all the time, much to his embarrassment, he'd try to "float" things over to people like he did in space, and would be surprised with a "thunk." He expected to have the same habitual behavior this time, but that part of his brain seemed to figure gravity out this time.

That's funny. It's one thing to be a clever video, it's the next level when it's got truth behind it.

Hopefully he didn't try to float a drink or anything fragile.

 

[Quadrupled]

For all in the SW suburbs of Chicago:

Time: Fri Jun 07 9:18 PM
Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 54 degrees
Appears: WSW, Disappears: NE

 

[passedpawn]

I haven't had a transit in weeks.

 

[Quadrupled]

Finally watched the ISS cruise (glide?) by...AWESOME!!!

It's surprising how friggin fast it goes across the sky.

 

[passedpawn]

I wave. Man I love the idea of man in space. And woman! Here's Tracy Dyson in the cupola. Note the velcro on her legs.

The ISS Cupola is a cool windowed area that makes for great pictures. Like this one:

 

[Quadrupled]

I have this disconnect, I know humans have gone to space for 50+ years, but it's just so surreal. I watch Apollo 13 every time I come across it and think how cool it would be to do that.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

I have this disconnect, I know humans have gone to space for 50+ years, but it's just so surreal. I watch Apollo 13 every time I come across it and think how cool it would be to do that.

I kind of think it's a waste of money, but it's fascinating, and does lead to much innovation. That's my disconnect-I love it and also wonder why we bother.

 

[passedpawn]

I kind of think it's a waste of money, but it's fascinating, and does lead to much innovation. That's my disconnect-I love it and also wonder why we bother.

One of the things that makes us human is to do these kinds of things. Next time you look at the moon, remind yourself that people have walked there. I think it's noble, a testament to our intellect and ambition.

In a time of awful war and atrocities around the world, the space programs are one thing that gives me hope in mankind.

 

[aygov]

For all in the SW suburbs of Chicago:

Time: Fri Jun 07 9:18 PM
Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 54 degrees
Appears: WSW, Disappears: NE

I totally didn't get that alert which is weird because I'm in the SW burbs. We did end up seeing it though as we were around the fire at a friends house and my wife looked up and saw it.

 

[bob1852]

2 minute flyover starting in 20 minutes. Clear skies, camera ready, bright moon.

 

[bob1852]

'Twas brighter than I thought it would be, considering the moon. I'll post a picture or two tomorrow, and I'm excited for one of the longer flyovers coming soon (5 min on Monday, just after dark).

 

[Quadrupled]

I tried to snap a 10 second exposure as it passed "below" the Big Dipper. It would have made for a cool shot if the sky was darker and I got the dipper fully in the picture. Unfortunately it looks kind of like a short contrail with a few stars in the background.

What was really cool to me was that when I looked at the picture, the space station (a white line) had traveled ~50 miles! For perspective, a 757 at cruising speed would have traveled around one mile.

I hope it turns out well - looking forward to seeing it.

 

[bob1852]

Focus was way off (oops ), but here she is...

 

[Quadrupled]

Focus was way off (oops ), but here she is...

Awesome!

 

[passedpawn]

Damn it, I wanted to get the first pic, just like that, up here. Nice.

You need to go to manual focus and go to infinity. If you're using a DSLR, it might have a setting that reduces noise levels during long exposures. Maybe not a big deal (especially when out of focus), but might as well turn it on... this is what that's made for.

It's too bad, because the exposure is excellent. Great pic besides the focus. Putting the trees in there for perspective was the right idea. Thanks for posting.

 

[bob1852]

Damn it, I wanted to get the first pic, just like that, up here. Nice.

You need to go to manual focus and go to infinity. If you're using a DSLR, it might have a setting that reduces noise levels during long exposures. Maybe not a big deal (especially when out of focus), but might as well turn it on... this is what that's made for.

It's too bad, because the exposure is excellent. Great pic besides the focus. Putting the trees in there for perspective was the right idea. Thanks for posting.

Yeah, not sure what happened as I've had some great luck with moon, star trails, and milky way shots recently.

I must have bumped the focus ring or something. ISO was only 400 and exposure was 20 seconds so there shouldn't have been much noise, but I did notice after the fact my noise reduction was switched to off. oops again.

Tonight is ~4 minutes, but pretty low (25* max height) so it might not be above the trees, but Monday or Wednesday are looking good enough that I might go up to the lookout tower to take the trees out of play, and take a dozen or so shots and stack them for a long trail.

 

[TyTanium]

AZ - did you just draw a line in MS Paint?

 

[passedpawn]

Yeah, not sure what happened as I've had some great luck with moon, star trails, and milky way shots recently.

I must have bumped the focus ring or something. ISO was only 400 and exposure was 20 seconds so there shouldn't have been much noise, but I did notice after the fact my noise reduction was switched to off. oops again.

Tonight is ~4 minutes, but pretty low (25* max height) so it might not be above the trees, but Monday or Wednesday are looking good enough that I might go up to the lookout tower to take the trees out of play, and take a dozen or so shots and stack them for a long trail.

Do you have a remote shutter release? Intervalometer feature (time lapse)? What software do you use for stacking?