Photographer Andrew McCarthy is best known for taking gorgeous star photography from his backyard in Sacramento, California. He recently added two more photos to his portfolio: ultra-clear views of the International Space Station (ISS) crossing the sun and moon.
Given that the International Space Station oscillates across the sun and moon in less than a second from someone’s perspective on Earth, capturing a clear view of the transit is Not An easy thing to do.
McCarthy first captured the International Space Station on the Sun on Tuesday, October 6.
“This shot was taken simultaneously with two scopes, one fitted with a white light filter for the details of the International Space Station and the other with a solar alpha hydrogen telescope for surface detail,” McCarthy wrote. “By merging the images together, I get a clear, detailed shot for transmission.”
The following week, on the morning of October 14, McCarthy captured the International Space Station as it crossed the face of the moon.
“[A]After spending hours searching for the right location, I set up my roadside gear hoping to capture something I’d never seen before. McCarthy writes: “The International Space Station, lit by day, crosses an extremely thin crescent.” “ Something about the way the illuminated International Space Station stretches along the crescent gives it a sense of depth that previous transit shots lack.
“This was captured by recording video at a high frame rate during the passage, linking the entire mosaic of the moon after the passage was completed, which was then mixed with footage taken before sunrise to obtain the ‘Earth brightness’ you see in the dark side of the moon.”
You can find more of McCarthy’s work on his popular Instagram. You can also purchase great art prints from his work and gain other perks (including whole writing on how to make pictures) by supporting him through Patreon.
Image credits: Photos by Andrew McCarthy and used with permission
