• → European Space Agency

      • Space for Europe
      • Space News
      • Space in Images
      • Space in Videos
    • About Us

      • Welcome to ESA
      • DG's News and Views
      • For Member State Delegations
      • Business with ESA
      • ESA Exhibitions
      • ESA Publications
      • Careers at ESA
    • Our Activities

      • Space News
      • Observing the Earth
      • Human Spaceflight
      • Launchers
      • Navigation
      • Space Science
      • Space Engineering
      • Operations
      • Technology
      • Telecommunications & Integrated Applications
    • For Public

    • For Media

    • For Educators

    • For Kids

    • ESA

    • Human Spaceflight

    • Astronauts

    • International Space Station

    • Research

    • Education

    • Our vision
    • About human spaceflight
    • Current missions
    • Volare
    • Bedrest studies
    • ATV
    • Concordia
    • Past missions

      • PromISSe
      • Mars500
      • MagISStra
      • DAMA mission
      • Node-3 & Cupola
      • Expert
      • Alissé
      • OasISS
      • Columbus
      • Esperia
      • Celsius
      • Astrolab
      • Eneide
      • DELTA
      • Cervantes
      • Odissea
      • Marco Polo
      • Andromède
      • STS-100
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Multimedia gallery
    • RSS feeds
    • Resources
    • Experiment archive
    • Services
    • Subscribe

    ESA > Our Activities > Human Spaceflight

    Your International Space Station photos

    ISS seen from Space Shuttle Discovery during docking operations on 6 July 2006
    14 July 2006

    This image of the International Space Station (ISS) against the darkness of space was captured by the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery as they approached for docking last week. Although you can't see quite the same detail down here on Earth, many of you were successful in capturing your own image of the Space Station as it passed overhead in the night sky.

    For several days in mid-June conditions were ideal over Europe to spot the International Space Station as it passed overhead - sometimes upto four times a night. Thanks to the large solar panels the Station is one of the most visible objects in the night sky.

    A number of amateur astronomers and Space Station enthusiasts regularly take photos as ISS rises above the horizon in westerly direction and sets towards the East. In response to a recent article on this website, you sent us some of your ISS images. A selection of your photos is presented below.

    ISS passing Jupiter
    ISS passing Jupiter

    Steven Penfold from Hampshire, England, captured this colourful timelapse photograph (right) of the International Space Station passing Jupiter on the night of 16 June 2006.

    The photo below, which was captured from Spain, has been edited to identify the star constellations - this can help orientation in the night sky.


    Trace of International Space Station as it passes over Fontefria, in Spain - star constellations are superimposed
    ISS video John Locker
    ISS animation captured from England, 13 June 2006

    Even from Earth it is possible to see some details of the Station, such as the solar panels and even the Station's robotic arm, but you will need some more powerful equipment.

    John Locker from England sent us this video (left) which was captured using a webcam together with an 8 inch telescope.

    ISS pass over Gattinara in Italy on 3 January 2006

    Alberto Zampieron from Gattinara, near Vercelli, in Italy, sent us his ISS image (right) which he took using using a Newton 114/900 telescope and a webcam.

    ISS over Cordoba, Spain - 4 July 2006

    Paco Bellido admitted that he hadn't found it easy to photograph the Station as it passed over his hometown of Cordoba, in Spain - "I never thought that imaging the ISS with a telescope could be so difficult! The main difficulty is the manual tracking," he said.

    ISS picture taken by Enrique Luque Cervigón

    This image (right) was taken by Enrique Luque Cervigón, from the city of Alcalá de Henares in Spain. The ISS is the white line at the top of the image, whereas the one at the bottom is a contrail from an airplane.

    The orbit of the Station is currently such that the visibility over Europe is poor. This is set to improve in a couple of weeks time - to find out when the International Space Station is next visible from where you live, or from your holiday destination, visit http://www.esa.int/seeiss.

    Rate this

    Views

    Share

    • Currently 0 out of 5 Stars.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    Rating: 0/5 (0 votes cast)

    Thank you for rating!

    You have already rated this page, you can only rate it once!

    Your rating has been changed, thanks for rating!

    193
    Tweet
    • Related articles
      • Europe set for perfect views of ISS
      • Related links
      • ISS: where is it now?
      • See the ISS

    Connect with us

    • RSS
    • Youtube
    • Twitter
    • Flickr
    • G+
    • Facebook
    • Livestream
    • Subscribe
    • App Store
    • LATEST ARTICLES
    • · ESA astronaut Timothy Peake set fo…
    • · Space drives e-mobility
    • · Proba-V opens its eyes
    • · First new Galileo satellite arrive…
    • · Next destination: space
    • FAQ

    • Jobs at ESA

    • Site Map

    • Contacts

    • Terms and conditions