Re: STS-114 / ISS Double Sun Transit

From: Rainer Kresken (rkresken@t-online.de)
Date: Mon Aug 01 2005 - 16:18:43 EDT

  • Next message: Arnold Barmettler: "Re: STS-114 / ISS Double Sun Transit"

    Gerhard,
    
    and how do I know what the course of the groundpath is and when a transit
    occurs close to my home?
    
    Rainer 
    
    >I've used a 3 inch Apo-refractor with an ND5 glass sun filter, just what I 
    >normally use for sun observations. We also had a 5 inch refractor and two 8 
    >inch SCTs (one was used for the camera) with ND5 sun screen foil for visual 
    >observations and ND4 foil for the camera (to allow higher speed). The ISS is 
    >so small that you do need a telescope to observe the transit. Solar eclipse 
    >glasses or so won't do. The magnification I use for such observations depends 
    >on the elevation of the sun at the time. With a very high sun the transit is 
    >short (e.g. 0.5 sec) in which case my eyes find it easier to see something 
    >with a 40x magnification. If the transit is slower (which happens at lower 
    >sun elevations) I use higher powers. But this is something very individual to 
    >each observer I guess.
    >
    >
    >>I'd sure like to try to see a solar transit of the station sometime.  I saw 
    >>the venus transit and it was really wicked.
    >
    >Solar transits of the ISS are quite frequent. If you don't mind travelling 
    >some 30 miles or so you should expect 2 or 3 transits a month at your 
    >latitude of 41.7°. If you live close to 50° latitude as I do you seem to get 
    >them even more often (at least during the summer). Two years ago I was able 
    >to observe 4 transits within one month without even leaving the house!
    >
    >Clear skies (day and night)
    >
    >Gerhard HOLTKAMP
    >Darmstadt, Germany
    >
    >
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