Glare from the illuminated part of the planet on the ISS solar panels

Aleksandr Tyulkin

911245

ISS

Jun 6th, 2025

958

Glare from the illuminated part of the planet on the ISS solar panels

Resolution:: 300x300 px
File size:: 12643 KB

Photo description / processing

Animation of the ISS flyby 427 frames, you can notice the glare on the ISS solar panels, and the station's modules are also clearly visible, especially when the angle of inclination changes

Technical information

Telescope/Lens: Sky-Watcher 16-inch Dobsonian Telescope
Camera: Canon EOS 550D
Accessories: Tele Vue 2x Barlow

Location: Новосибирск, Россия

Date taken: Jul 11th, 2024

Exposure

Jul 11th, 2024

Comments

Smirnov Andrey

"Glint from the illuminated part of the planet on the ISS solar panels."
Are you sure it's from the illuminated part of Earth, and not from the Sun?

Jun 6th, 2025

Aleksandr TyulkinReply to Smirnov Andrey

Well, it looks like part of the planet is reflected on the panels. If you look closely, you can see the reflection is curved like a semicircle.

Jun 6th, 2025

Smirnov AndreyReply to Aleksandr Tyulkin

This is definitely a lens flare.

Jun 6th, 2025

oeswwwReply to Smirnov Andrey

A blue glare from the sun?

Jun 7th, 2025

Gavriil

This is a really cool piece of work.

Jun 6th, 2025

Aleksandr TyulkinReply to Gavriil

Thank you :)

Jun 7th, 2025

oeswww

Super. The reflection from the ground is absolutely top-notch.

Jun 7th, 2025

Aleksandr TyulkinReply to oeswww

Thank you!

Jun 8th, 2025

ankorot

Please explain how this was captured, especially given the size of the Dob and the long focal length?
Thanks!

Aug 14th, 2026

Aleksandr TyulkinReply to ankorot

I manually tracked the ISS through a straight-through viewfinder with illumination. The ISS only rises to 47 degrees for us, so tracking it was manageable at my height of 185 cm.

Aug 14th, 2026