[Update: the video has been removed the by the owner. I'm not sure why, so I dropped him an email about it. Stay tuned!]
This is pretty cool: back in July 2007, an amateur astronomer made a video of the International Space Station as it passed directly in front of the Sun:
Cool!
There’s a lot to note here:
1) Most obvious is the speed of the ISS. It orbits the Earth a mere 350 or so kilometers (220 miles) up; I like to say that if you live in DC and see it pass overhead, it’s about the same distance from you as New York City. So it’s actually pretty close to the Earth’s surface, and screaming around at 8 km/sec (5 miles/sec). That’s a good clip! From the point of view of someone watching from the ground, it only takes a couple of minutes for the station to go clear across the sky, horizon to horizon.
Also, the Sun is pretty small in the sky; you can easily cover it with your outstretched thumb. So the great speed of the ISS coupled with the small apparent size of the Sun means the entire pass will take less than a second!
2) The astronomer — Len Marek — wasn’t using a huge telescope to get this shot. He has a Coronado Maxscope 60, which has a 6 cm (2.4 inch) lens. It’s a very nice telescope, equipped with a filter that only lets a very narrow range of red light through, and is a bit pricey, but it’s not some huge honking ‘scope. It doesn’t take something very big to see details on the Sun.
3) The encounter of ISS and Sun was predictable! As he says in the video notes, he used some software (Cal-Sky) to discover the ISS would pass in front of the Sun at a given time, and he was ready to take the video. There are any number of packages that allow you to do this.
I’ll add you don’t even need a telescope to see the ISS — go to Heavens Above, enter your latitude and longitude as accurately as you can (Google maps might help here) and you’re all set! It will tell you about good ISS passes, as well as other satellites that might be visible from your location. The ISS can be brighter than Venus on a good pass, making it the third brightest object in the night sky. And if you have good binoculars, you might even be able to see a bit of detail in the structure, like the fact that it’s elongated.
Astronomy is one of those cool fields that can be enjoyed by everyone from rank beginner to seasoned professional. And you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment. Just your eyes and some preparation is sometimes all you need.
Tip o’ the Hα filter to reddit.
September 5th, 2010 at 7:21 am
I always love seeing these kinds of clips involving transits of night sky objects. Like this iridium flair clip here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9SFzwlzQvE
September 5th, 2010 at 8:04 am
And you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment. Just your eyes and some preparation is sometimes all you need.
This is the time when the buzzkills (ack! does that make me one?!) insert the standard disclaimer: If you are going to observe the sun, you most definitely do need some equipment…a decent filter or projection set-up at the very least. And don’t aim your fancy digital camera at the sun without proper filtering or it might become a lovely paperweight!
Heh…back in 1979 or 80, whenever the total eclipse was visible from hometown/hellhole Yakima, Washington, the schools were all atizzy because kids were suddenly going to go blind from “looking at the eclipse.” I think the city council even tried to pass a resolution insisting that schools lock their doors and shut their windows so kids wouldn’t be tempted to peek. Arrrrrgh, to say the least!
September 5th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Hot hot hot hot hot hot hot!!!
J/P=?
September 5th, 2010 at 8:34 am
Don’t blink or you’ll miss it!
So quick. I have a newly strongly heightened respect for those who’ve photographed the ISS transiting the Sun – and they were held in high esteem before.
@ 4. Dennis : I think its a sunspot seen in this different light but I could be wrong.. The Sun does have bright features also which I think are called phages but I’m not 100% certain.
September 5th, 2010 at 8:38 am
What’s the white spot in the upper left?
September 5th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Me at #3 :
For instance, photos like the one linked below by Thierry Legault of the shuttle in solar transit which I presume would make an equally quick pass :
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/15/check-this-out-amazing-photo-of-the-sun/
& this one :
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/09/20/shuttle-and-iss-transit-the-sun/
again by Thierry Legault but B&W like this video.
& a couple more International Space Station solar transits captured here :
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/05/26/two-solar-iss-transits/
This time from Heiko Mehring .. oh & also guess who again!
Surprised the BA didn’t beat me to these by referring to them in the opening item here!
September 5th, 2010 at 9:48 am
I was always told we weren’t supposed to look at the sun, so I missed it
September 5th, 2010 at 10:01 am
Very cool! I saw ISS last night at a star part in Mariestad, Sweden. I have tried to spot it before but my efforts have been frustrated due to weather and the fact I live just below 60 deg N. This time I didn’t even know that it would make an appearance, figures…
September 5th, 2010 at 10:02 am
kuhnigget, it was probably the same eclipse that they locked my school in Ontario up for. I had been looking forward to it for months, had welder’s glass and had tested a projection setup. Got to school and they herded us all into the gym and made us watch it on TV. I think it was only going to be partial from where we were but still, I had done my research and was prepared. I was MAD.
September 5th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Ooh! Solar eclipse!
September 5th, 2010 at 10:37 am
“The ISS can be brighter than Venus on a good pass, making it the third brightest object in the night sky”
After the Moon and…?
September 5th, 2010 at 10:54 am
@#11 Oli: The sun? Oops, it did say “night” sky. Jupiter maybe? I’d say in most cases Venus is brighter than Jupiter.
September 5th, 2010 at 10:58 am
Wow. Amazing! I kept thinking I was missing it, and squinting harder (as if that would help!) when suddenly I saw it go flying past. Great video!
September 5th, 2010 at 11:33 am
kuhnigget — grown ups say the darndest things!
September 5th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
And if you are on the space station looking down at an observer who is observing the space station passing in front of the sun, you will see a diffuse bright spot racing along the ground, and passing right through the observer’s position. This would be the zone of zero shadows, and can also be easily seen from an airplane looking down at the anti-sun direction.
September 5th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Zoom! Wow, excellent shot.
Thanks, Phil, these images and videos are always fascinating.
September 5th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Re:third brightest: The iridium sats are pretty bright, don’t know if they top this one…
September 5th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
[...] The Bad Astronomy blog posted this blink-and-you’ll-miss it video of the International Space Station zipping across the face of the sun back in 2007. Let’s put that speed in perspective: It orbits the Earth a mere 350 or so kilometers (220 miles) up; I like to say that if you live in DC and see it pass overhead, it’s about the same distance from you as New York City. So it’s actually pretty close to the Earth’s surface, and screaming around at 8 km/sec (5 miles/sec). That’s a good clip! From the point of view of someone watching from the ground, it only takes a couple of minutes for the station to go clear across the sky, horizon to horizon. [...]
September 5th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
I think you scared him/her – “this video has been removed by the user”.
September 5th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
@5. (ex-4!) Dennis Says:
Well I suggested earlier it might be a sunspot viewed in this “negative” light or a “phage.” I’ve just checked upon Wikipedia & have found that ‘plage’ was actually the word I was thinking of there. See :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plage_(astronomy)
and that it could also be a faculae. See :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faculae
Anybody here with a bit more solar knowledge care to enlighten us further?
September 6th, 2010 at 12:27 am
I’ve seen the solar arrays on the ISS with my daughter’s 8″ dobsonian scope, guided by hand. It was a tricky bit of guiding, and the view of the panels only lasted for a split second, but I am sure I saw the 2 large arrays!
September 6th, 2010 at 2:05 am
poo video has been removed by the user but thanks phil always love what you post, keep it up
Cheers
September 6th, 2010 at 3:49 am
Made.Of.Win.
I’ve also been trying to catch a glimpse but so far clouds and patience have been conspiring against me!
- QuadraCentifiable
September 6th, 2010 at 5:12 am
Either the video has been removed or there’s a cyber eclipse in progress.
September 6th, 2010 at 8:46 am
Very disappointing that the clip has been removed.
September 6th, 2010 at 11:50 am
Phil, you said that it takes the ISS a couple of minutes to cross the sky, horizon to horizon. Actually, the transit time is often four, five, up to six minutes. The longer durations occur when the ISS passes directly–or nearly–overhead, AND when the path takes it from one horizon to the “opposite” horizon… e.g. from SW to NE.
I may be nit-picking with your wording (“a couple of minutes”), but those wanting to view its passage might be more inclined if they know the event often lasts two to three times longer.
For those who are ISS curious, check out Heavens-Above.com for specific times and location for where you live.
September 6th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Curt,
Often, when the ISS does cross the sky, it transits into shadow, so while the trip horizon to horizon might take six minutes, it might only be visible for a couple. In fact, I’ve only once seen an ISS pass that stayed lit beyond two minutes (but it was a beauty at around four minutes).
September 6th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Heavens-Above is a great website. Any time I have a chance to be at the lake in the summer, I always have the ISS pass printoff handy. So many people are thrilled to know that is what they are seeing overhead. Often, I have the Heavens-Above website on little pieces of paper to give out. I have to smile when people are surprised that I know where and when to look. Then I explain that all it takes is being able to read a chart.
The best time was a couple of summers ago when we had a great double pass of the ISS and Shuttle. There are only a couple of opportunities left for that, so I have my fingers crossed that we will be in a good viewing location and the skies are clear.
September 6th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
@ John Sandlin… Yes, it depends on how much time the ISS is in sunlight during its transit. But, if you refer to the Heavens-Above viewing charts, you will notice it adjusts for this. Almost always, the viewing begins at 10 degrees above horizon (providing you have a horizon that cooperates), and then often goes into shadow at 10 degrees or more as it exits your view. I totally agree that sometimes the transit DOES last only a couple of minutes. But I’m just pointing out the fact that more often, the transit time lasts considerably longer. I personally have watched it for more than 5 minutes… especially in the summertime where the Sun is shining on it from a more favorable angle.
September 6th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
“This video has been removed by the user.” Huh.
September 6th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Several can be found on YouTube using the search term “ISS transit”. I don’t know if any of them was as good as the one linked in this post, because I got the removed notice too.
September 9th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Erm, video removed by user…
Headline of the week, bad astronomer has bad link.
Researchers seeking the newest missing link…