Discovery of the M31 [OIII] emission arc
Recently, a major discovery by an international team of amateur astronomers and scientists has become a huge online hit, and this new discovery is just located in one of the
Discovery Astrophotography with ZWO ASTRO
Charline Giroud’s Journey as an ISS Tracker
The International Space Station has been my favorite target since I started astrophotography five years ago. Even though my conditions aren’t ideal—I live in a light-polluted area surrounded by trees, houses, and streetlights—I’ve learned to make the most of it. From my backyard, I can only see a small part of the sky, mostly near the zenith, so I’m limited to bright objects. But I’m lucky with my location: my latitude is exactly at the ISS’s maximum culmination, which means it passes overhead every day. With its brightness and daily visibility, it naturally became my main target.
A typical session starts in the middle of the night if I’m aiming for a pre-dawn pass. The telescope, a C11, is left outside overnight to reach temperature. Then I begin the alignment, connect it to SkyTrack, collimate, focus, and prepare the capture software. I use high-frame-rate cameras like the ZWO 174MM or 662MC to maximize detail. Everything has to be ready before the ISS shows up—there’s only one chance to capture it, and if you miss that window, you’ll have to wait until the next day.
The station always shows something new thanks to its constant activity. Cargo ships like Dragon and Soyuz come and go, and the robotic arms often move equipment around. It’s also fascinating to image the ISS at different times of day. Depending on the Sun’s position, the station can reflect a brilliant orange tone from its solar panels, most striking when it passes near the Sun.
Tracking the ISS has now become a routine I truly enjoy. Sometimes it happens at night, but I especially love doing it during the day—at breakfast time, while sipping my coffee. Honestly, I can’t imagine a better way to start my day before heading to work.
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