The Final Frontier

With the recent clear weather and some favourable timed passes, tonight was a good night to view the International Space Station (ISS). I believe with the exception of the Moon, the ever expanding ISS is now the brightest object in the night-sky. I decided to put my camera to the test, so I mounted it on its tripod and took a timed exposure. This was my very first attempt at this kind of shot and although far from perfect, you can at least see the movement of the ISS across the sky against the background of stars.

A few facts about the ISS. Typically it takes 3-4 mins to cross the sky on an evening when its visible and it orbits the earth every 90 mins or so. Its altitude is around 200 miles.

If you want to find out when you can see the ISS, go to http://www.heavens-above.com/. Once you have entered your position, this website will give you details on passing satellite's (on a clear night you could see as many as 20-30 over the space of a couple of hours) as well as where to look for planets plus a general overview of the night sky. Well worth a look.