Video of ISS by 5" scope! :shock:

Note that the ISS has approximately the same cross section as Tyco crater on the moon:

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061014.html

I have an "ordinary" (non apo) 6" achromat refractor from Celestron which shows minute tack-sharp detail within Tyco.

I conclude that my scope (and any decent 5" refractor) is well up to showing that level of detail on the ISS.

No miracle optics required.
Good seeing and good tracking essential of course.

Pops.
For "Tyco" read "Tycho".
Need a new keyboard!

Biggest problems are the seeing, sky transparency and the mount.
Seeing and transparency both need to be A1.
Smooth accurate tracking is also required of the mount as it tracks the ISS at high speed across the sky.

Holy ****. That is fantastic.

I guess that this is a real indicator of how large the Space Station is actually becoming. As they keep adding more components it will become even easier to see and within the range of smaller scopes.

Great video.

petermark

1.The intensity,frequency and wavelengths of light reflecting off a metal surface are not the same as that reflecting from the surface of the moon.

2.There is different interference patterns introduced from a knife edge as opposed to a flat surface.

What i suspect Dave G was talking about or at least what i was agreeing with him about was the lack of secondary colours which is what a good apo will reduce or elliminate altogether.At the start of the movie and i would say not by coincedence but the seeing is better and you can see very little secondary colour by about 2/3 through the seeing gets so bad that at one stage the ss looks as though it has a rainbow painted on the side of it this has been caused by diffraction in the atmosphere. So have a go with the celestron and then conclude.Sure you will see a lot of detail and lots of pretty colours as well