Astrophotographer clicks stunning image of ISS transiting a crescent moon

A backyard astrophotographer captured a stunning image of the International Space Station (ISS) laboratory transiting a crescent moon at a speed of more than 17,000 miles per hour.

Andrew McCarthy, who is known for clicking breathtaking photos of the cosmos, recently published a photo which showed the massive 356-foot-long orbiting laboratory transiting a massive crescent moon. The laboratory appeared like a shiny speck and the moon's crated surface was clearly visible.

McCarthy stated that he went to a remote location in the Sonoran Desert and placed his equipment among cacti in 105°F (40.5degree Celsius) heat with hopes ofcapturingdetails of the station which is rarely visible.

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"This transit happened at 4:50 pm, so the sun was still out. That made the moon much lower contrast and difficult to focus on using my equipment. Thankfully, the ISS still shines brightly enough to capture in conditions like this," he said.

The ISS is stationed 254 miles above the surface of Earth and 238,900 miles from the moon. The massive craft travels five miles per second and completes a full moon transit in around half a second.

Shooting in desert

Two telescopes were set up by McCarthy in the desert in case one does not work during the mission, something which had happened to him in the past.

"I use two telescopes for multiple reasons," stated McCarthy in a press release.

"Right now, I miss about two-thirds of the shots I attempt due to either equipment failure or weather. The second telescope helps eliminate variables. It also allows me to use colour and monochrome cameras with different strengths. This image was captured using both, so I was able to combine the final images," he added.

However, the astrophotographer got only one moment to capture the transit of the ISS across the moon, specifically a quarter of a second.

"Precision during the capture was paramount. Due to the focal lengths used, the camera would have missed the transit entirely if my position on Earth was off even slightly," he said.

The ISS travels at a whopping 17,500 miles per hour, so the exposure of the camera had to be very short to avoid motion blur.

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He said, "I was shooting with .2ms (1/5000s) exposures, but even with such short exposures, the station moved about 2 metres within each shot!"

McCarthy stated that he wishes to inspire the new generation of space explorers.

"Images like this really excite me. It's a juxtaposition of space exploration's past, present, and future. I call this one 'New Frontiers' as it makes me think about the Lunar Gateway and the future of the Artemis mission," said McCarthy.

He said, "Perhaps the first person to set foot on Mars will see it and feel inspired!"

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