Arrghhh and Wow at the same time
Arrghh, because I got home from work about 9.45 with clear skies and quickly took the scope out to cool down before having my dinner. The intention being to try and image Jupiter tonight. Before I sat down at the table I just checked the met office sat images and was disgusted to discover that there is a huge bank of cloud almost upon me. So I am eating my dinner and think to myself, "Hmmm, Frank Jr. posted about a lot of ISS passes this week, whats the betting that I finish my dinner, walk outside and see an ISS pass (hadn't checked heavens above at all) before I have a chance to collimate the scope never mind set up the laptop and webcam"
So I finish my dinner, put the plate in the dishwasher, grab my binoculars and walk out the back door and look up. Nothing. "Hmmm, maybe I was wrong." I lift the bins back up to my eyes and point at Vega to set the focus. With that ISS passes over!! :laugh:
So I didn't get to use the scope but here is the wow bit...
I think I saw its shape!!!
I am sure I have seen the ISS through these very bins before but I only remember seeing a really bright blob even as I focussed on it.
Tonight, I think I could see a rectangle twice as wide as Jupiters disc in the same binos. A rectangle with a protrusion at the top. Did I just see the shape of the solar array and the tip of one of the modules!!
These were 15x70 binoculars. Would the ISS appear twice as wide as Jupiters disc in these, ie over 80 arc seconds wide at 15x. Or am I imagining the whole thing?
Keith D.
16" Meade Lightbridge Truss Dobsonian with Servocat Tracking/GOTO
Ethos 3.7sx,6,8,10,13,17,21mm
Nagler 31mm
  