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Andrew McCarthy

May 24, 2023 • 7 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X

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My recent video of the International Space Station drew a lot of questions, so before I release the image I captured I thought I would put together a thread describing exactly how you can capture a similar photo! 👇

If you're not interested in how to do it and just want to know when I'm dropping my new image of the station (I personally think it's one of my best but I'll let you decide) you can see it early by either subscribing to me on twitter or on my website: cosmicbackground.io

twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Check transit-finder.com.
This allows you to put in your location, date range, and how far you're willing to drive, and it will show upcoming transits. I check this weekly, and see transits coming about a month ahead of time. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The arrow shows path of travel from your current location. Many of the results will be far too small to resolve details on the ISS, so I generally skip those ones. "ISS angular size" is most important.

I am lucky to have good equipment handy, but really you just need a lens with a fairly long focal length. I recommend at least 800mm, but I have captured transits with a 350mm lens where I was still able to resolve the solar panels, so don't let your lack of equipment deter you!

These transits are always under a second, so camera write speed matters. Also, take this time to focus on the subject, and take test frames. Always shoot with the lowest ISO/Gain possible, but keep exposure length at no longer than 1ms or 1/1000s (ISS is fast).

I expand on these tips in this article. I suggest reading it before you go attempting this so you have a chance to learn from my mistakes! Also, sign up for my email list so you can see my latest image dropping tomorrow, I'm super proud of it!
cosmicbackground.io/blogs/learn-ab…

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More from @AJamesMcCarthy

Andrew McCarthy

@AJamesMcCarthy

Jun 4

On Monday I captured 225,000 photos of the moon to create this 500 gigabyte composite showing more detail and color depth than usually possible through a telescope. Here's a thread about how it was captured, but make sure to load in 4k and zoom in first!

The full size image is 300 megapixels, large enough to print massively, so I decided to release it as a limited edition fine art print, which you can pick up here for the next couple days: cosmicbackground.io/pages/daybreak…

To capture this, I used two telescopes and two cameras. One telescope was an 11" SCT, the other a 12" Newtonian. One was focused on the detail, while the other was focused on the color. This was necessary to make the most out of each system.

The color? Completely real!

Read 8 tweets

Andrew McCarthy

@AJamesMcCarthy

May 15

Two weeks ago I destroyed a camera lens to get this shot of this Atlas V rocket…

Next week I’ll be putting cameras this close to the largest rocket ever built.

Here’s a thread on why I sacrificed my lens and couldn’t protect it:

The lens was completely destroyed from acid created when the SRB exhaust mixed with water. After I shared this photo, a common response was “why not protect the lens with a UV filter” etc.

A valid question, but it would have ruined the shot.

This photo was taken right when engines ignited, several seconds before the rocket started lifting off. In this moment my camera was sprayed with dirt, debris, and water.

Thankfully, when dirt is on a lens it is out of focus, thus doesn’t appear in photos.

Read 6 tweets

Andrew McCarthy

@AJamesMcCarthy

Feb 6

Yesterday afternoon I captured a fleeting moment- the moment the ISS transited the moon. Despite being broad daylight, the ISS was clearly visible against the cratered terrain.

I captured it in conjunction with the lunar south pole where astronauts will soon return.

The uncropped photo shows just how small the ISS is compared to the moon, despite being 1000x closer. Humans may be small, but our significance is massive.

Get this image in print in varying crops/sizes for a limited time, at the link in my bio.

Here's the raw frame chosen out of ~50 captured I used for the shot. The global shutter camera I use for these is monochrome to be as fast as possible, so the color is captured with a second camera (an r5). This was captured using a 14" dobsonian telescope.

Read 6 tweets

Andrew McCarthy

@AJamesMcCarthy

Dec 27, 2024

Top posts of the year thread in order. Guess how many before you get to space 😂

First: Gregory’s adoption👇

Second most popular, the update when he got settled

Third, when he was making biscuits on my pillow

Read 10 tweets

Andrew McCarthy

@AJamesMcCarthy

Sep 20, 2024

A traveled to the top of a Volcano in Hawaii to capture this: Saturn briefly covered by the moon. One of the most difficult shots I’ve captured and a bucket list moment, this event gave me a new perspective on the solar system.

I’ll have it available in print for a short time.

If you want the print, head to the link in my bio. To keep details on the planet, I cropped it differently based on the size. The largest print shows the entire moon, with the planet just a distant light (but the details are still there 🤓)

IRL, the planet was much dimmer than the moon. For the sake of the composition I brightened Saturn to more closely match the moons brightness, which also more closely matches what I experienced through the eyepiece

Read 4 tweets

Andrew McCarthy

@AJamesMcCarthy

Sep 14, 2024

In case you needed another reason to hate Instagram, they’re automatically adding “AI generated” tags to space photos.

With the growing flat earth community and general institutional distrust, systems like this need to be responsibly designed.

No, my work is not AI. 🧵

I’ve spent years refining my processes, which are difficult and not analogous to traditional photography, which may be confusing the detectors, which couldn’t have possibly trained enough on these sorts of photos.

Learn more about my process here.

cosmicbackground.io/blogs/learn-ab…

Part of the reason my photos may be tripping the detectors is due to the way they are processed. I defeat atmospheric distortion through the use of image stacking and software sharpening. What’s interesting is every modern phone does something similar in a far less accurate way.