Capturing the ISS as it transits the Sun or the Moon is one of the holy grails of every astrophotographer. But how about capturing it as it transits the Sun and a massive sunspot, in the middle of a spacewalk? Thierry Legault has an answer to this question – that’s extremely exciting and you need to be extremely precise, plan ahead, and be at the right place at the right time. We chatted with Thierry about his stunning transition image, and he shared some details about this impressive shot, as well as many interesting details from his rich astrophotography career.
Photo capturing the Sun, ISS and Mercury in a single frame
No, this is not a TIE fighter gong over the sun, it is the International Space Station. And while getting a shot of the ISS over the sun is competently doable, getting that shot with Mercury in the frame is an epic effort.
Engineer and photographer Thierry Legault took this composite of the ISS, Sun and Mercury at a carefully selected location and date in Philadelphia, USA. You see during the entire 21st century there are only 14 times that Mercury goes over the sun. Add to that the precision needed to capture the exact 0.6 seconds of ISS transit and you can start understating how hard it can be.
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