spot the iss

[Cannon]

I can see it with the naked eye, but only as big as star. I've seen photos where you can actually see all parts of iss clearly.

I tried using binoculars but it wasn't much different. What do you guys suggest?

I have a telescope but it's not really good, and it would be nearly impossible to catch the iss since it's too fast. Btw it says focal lenght: 360mm, diam: 50mm, coated lens, model 36050 telescope.

[Camacha]

Spotting more than the shine is very hard. It is just too small. With the naked eye it is very easy to spot though, on a good pass it is brighter than any of the stars.

[Aethon]

With low power binoculars (25x?) I was just able to tell it had some shape other than a dot when I saw it last week. I would recommend a tripod.

Edited August 13, 2015 by Aethon

[hugix]

I saw a rudimentary shape of it with binoculars. I could tell there was some black between the giant solar panels.

I am working on making a photo of the ISS as a station, not as a line across the sky. but it is very hard. Every time I tried my camera was just not pointing the right way. (and there was that time a plane flew over its path trowing off my cameras focus.)

The hardest part is getting the camera steady, I got a tripod, but pushing the button makes the camera wobbly oh so slightly. I can set a delay on my camera of 2 seconds. But that makes it harder to point my camera towards the sky where the ISS will be.

[Camacha]

The hardest part is getting the camera steady, I got a tripod, but pushing the button makes the camera wobbly oh so slightly. I can set a delay on my camera of 2 seconds. But that makes it harder to point my camera towards the sky where the ISS will be.

Try an old school wire trigger or a modern wireless trigger (even though it might sound at odds ).

[LordFerret]

If I might suggest: An old field trick. Tripods, even the best of them, can shake/vibrate. Find yourself a solid enough foundation of adequate height, a boulder or rock/brick wall. Take a few pair of old socks, put plastic bag liners inside them, and fill them with sand/dirt... tie off the end with string or a rubber band. Flop a few of them down and nestle your camera into it... you can push the stuff around and get the framing you need/want. Use the timer delay on the camera (assuming your camera has such) to make the shot.

I always carry such stuff along with all my equipment. I do a lot of photomacrography (been doing such for years), and such a field trick works perfect every time. Welcome to my world.

[Andersenman]

Spotting more than the shine is very hard. It is just too small. With the naked eye it is very easy to spot though, on a good pass it is brighter than any of the stars.

http://www.guidescope.net/earth/iss_moon20080915.jpg

I love that shot!