ISS Transit of the Sun Observed from Sardinia, Italy
February 09, 2023
Photographer: Roberto Ortu
Summary Author: Roberto Ortu
The image above is the result from my first attempt to shoot the International Space Station (ISS) transiting the Sun. This transit took place on July 26, 2022, at 17:41:07 local time (15:41:07 UTC) in Cabras, Sardinia, Italy. At the time of transit, the ISS was approximately 700 km (435 miles) above my home and its apparent size was 38 arc seconds.
The space station is about as big as a football field, and its orbital speed is almost 28,000 km/hr (17,400/mph. Note that the first module of the station, called Zarya, was launched in 1998 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan. The operational life of the ISS has been extended until 2030. In addition to the silhouette of the ISS, a few sunspots are also visible in the active regions AR3062 and AR3066.
Photo details: Celestron 114/910 telescope and Newton planetary camera QHY5L-II-C; UV -IR cut filter; Astrosolar filter; Sharpcap, PIPP, and GIMP software.
Cabras, Sardinia, Italy Coordinates: 39.923075, 8.540492
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