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Photographer Andrew McCarthy is known for taking amazing astrophotography images from his backyard in Sacramento, California. He recently added two more jaw-dropping images to his portfolio: ultra-sharp views of the International Space Station (ISS) crossing the Sun and the Moon.
As the ISS whizzes 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 managed to capture the ISS in transit to the Sun on Tuesday 6 October.
“This shot was captured simultaneously with two telescopes, one with a white light filter for ISS detail and one with a hydrogen-alpha solar telescope for surface detail,” McCarthy writes. “By merging the images together I get a sharp and detailed snapshot of the transit.”
The following week, on the morning of October 14, McCarthy captured the ISS as it crossed the face of the moon.
“[A]After spending hours looking for the right spot, I set up my gear by the side of a road hoping to catch something I had never seen before. The ISS, illuminated by daylight, passes over a razor-thin crescent moon, ”McCarthy writes. “Something about the way the illuminated ISS straddles the crescent gives it a sense of depth that was lacking in my previous transit shots.
“This was captured by recording high frame rate video during the passage and stitching together a complete mosaic of the moon after the passage was completed, which was then mixed with the shots captured before the sun rose to achieve the ‘Earthshine. ‘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 fine art prints of his work and receive other benefits (including full comments on how the photos were made) by supporting him through Patreon.
Image credits: Photographs by Andrew McCarthy and used with permission
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