It was only in the last couple of years that I realised it was possible to see satellites passing overhead at night, and since then I have been absolutely fascinated by them. With a clear sky and minimal light pollution it doesn’t take long to pick out at least a couple flying past, although often they are very faint. By far the biggest and the easiest to see is the International Space Station (ISS) thats orbits the Earth approximately every 90 minutes. The last two evenings have seen exceptionally bright and low passes over the UK and tonight I managed to get the camera out in time to take a couple of long exposure photos. I recommend clicking on them to see the ISS trail in its full glory.
ISS passing over the back garden
ISS (top left) passing over Pontarddulais
Whilst taking them I was also treated to a superb shooting star that unfortunately passed just out of range of the top photo. If you want to find out when the space station is next passing over you then head to the website here for timings or follow this account if you are a twitter user to receive personalised alerts.
3 Comments
holdingmoments · March 5, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Fascinating shots Adam.
Adam Tilt · March 5, 2011 at 10:42 pm
Thanks Keith.
Sondra · March 6, 2011 at 12:59 am
HOW cool, I need a better camera to take some LE shots of stars and now Satellites!! WOW super idea and a fantastic photo. DO you see the TV series Ancient ALiens? IM so excited about all the attention of the ancient civilizations–most sky watchers believe-