International Space Station transit over Mont Saint Michel (France)
Copyright : Maxime Oudoux /
https://maximeoudouxphotographie.fr/
Large picture (with behind the scene shots) : https://maximeoudouxphotographie.fr/sta ... nt-michel/
Early in the morning of November 1st, the ISS flew over Mont Saint Michel, during one of the last orbits for French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, originally from Normandy (the region in which Mont Saint Michel is located).
Thomas gets us used to regularly admiring the most beautiful landscapes on Earth from space. Mont Saint-Michel was not forgotten by the French astronaut during his 2 stays aboard the ISS: he flew over and photographed it several times.
For once, the places are reversed (between 2 original Norman photographers, moreover)
It was 6:13 a.m. when a very bright point emerged from the night, to move quickly without a noise above the Abbey, then "go down" towards the eastern horizon (on the right), where dawn was beginning. to dawn (hence the clearer sky with more pronounced bluish and magenta colors).
The trajectory of the ISS meets several points of interest in the sky: it appears at the level of the constellation Cassiopeia (the almost vertical "W") located in the Milky Way; then, it crosses the North Star at its highest position in the sky, before descending, brushing against the tail of the Big Dipper.
The crescent moon and the onset of day give the sky this characteristic bluish color. We were then at the very end of the "real" dark night: it is the astronomical dawn, more commonly known as "between dogs and wolves"!
This image, made up of 40 photos (forming a large panoramic), had been planned for over a month. Indeed, the passages of the space station are known and it is possible to know when and where to position to capture its crossing in the sky according to our position on Earth.
This image is unique : it is the first and only representation of the International Space Station above Mont Saint-Michel, with its transit almost complete and correctly oriented.
This image is also 100% real, the trajectory of the ISS and its position in the sky were planned thanks to Heavens Above -
https://www.heavens-above.com (we can use it to check the date and time of the passage of the ISS if necessary). Mont Saint Michel faces south with its most famous side, through which we access it). RAW and captures from Heavens Above can be provided to check the picture if needed.
Precise acquisition hours : from 6:13 to 6:18 AM
EXIFs and Data :
Nikon D750 Astrodon
Samyang 35mm f / 1.4 AS UMC
Panoramic head Nodal Ninja VI RD-16 + EZ Leveller II
Benro Tortoise TTOR34C Tripod
Panoramic image of 40 photos, with tracking of the almost complete trajectory of the ISS in 17 photos
EXIF for each frame: 8s, f / 2.8, 2000ISO, 35mm
DxO Photolab 3, AutoPano Giga 4.4.2, Photoshop CC 2021
